


Cameraman, Swing the Focus

by OnceYoungHearts



Category: Panic! at the Disco
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bisexual Female Character, Bisexual Male Character, Bisexuality, Choose Your Own Adventure, Choose Your Own Ending, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Gay Male Character, Gay Sex, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Lesbian Sex, M/M, Multi, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:08:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 43
Words: 49,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22109125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnceYoungHearts/pseuds/OnceYoungHearts
Summary: A choose your own adventure story. Select which character you play as and try to have a happy ending.Brendon and Nicole really just want to get some action.
Relationships: Brendon Urie/Dallon Weekes, Ryan Ross/Brendon Urie, Ryan Ross/Brendon Urie/Dallon Weekes, Z Berg/Nicole Row
Comments: 22
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thanks for embarking on this journey. I've never done anything like this, so I'm not sure how well it will work on this website/app you're viewing it on. It's on both wattpad and AO3, so maybe try the other one if you're finding navigation annoying, or switch between the desktop view and the app.
> 
> Before anything else, change your viewing options to Chapter by Chapter using that button at the top. Scrolling through the whole work will ruin this experience and not make any sense.
> 
> **General Rules:**
> 
> Whenever you reach a part where the story branches, it will tell you what options you have, and which chapter to go to for each choice. While you could backtrack and change your decision if it looks like it's going poorly, where's the fun in that?! Read all the way to the end of a story line, because there may be chances to turn your luck around. 
> 
> Also it would be great if you could comment on whichever chapter you end on, that way we could see who got which endings. Some are harder to find than others, so you might be the first person to ever make the choices you have. 
> 
> This is your story. You can choose to make choices you think will be good for your character, choices you think will ruin their life, or maybe just pick at random and see where you end up. 
> 
> Once you get to an ending, it will give you directions on how to reset and choose another path if you so desire, or you can stay content with the story you made and leave it at that. It would take a long time and a lot of dedication to find all the endings (WITHOUT CHEATING), but you're welcome to try. 
> 
> If you have any questions about how this works, feel free to comment on this chapter and I'll get back to you right away.
> 
> Thanks for playing, and I hope you get what you want...

Nicole and Brendon were stretched out over the couch, taking up the room that could have sat all four of them. They felt entitled to take up the whole couch however, because they were being subjected to one of Spencer and Jon's make out sessions which was occurring on the floor in front of them. This had long ago become a common thing that happened, and while at one time it might have been interesting, or disgusting to watch, now it was just another thing that wasn't taking away from their boredom. 

"Wouldn't your bed be a more comfortable place to do that?" Brendon asked without much conviction. He wasn't really expecting an answer from the couple, and he certainly didn't get one.

Nicole wiggled her toes where they were tucked under Brendon's legs, effectively getting his attention as he squirmed to get away from the weird sensation. "Ugh, what?" Brendon whined, poking her in the ribs so she could share in his misery.

"I'm bored," she announced for what must have been the hundredth time that day. Brendon rolled his eyes and nodded in agreement. Her eyes drifted back to the couple on the floor as Jon flipped them over so he was on top. Nicole groaned somewhere in the back of her throat and managed to slide even further down on the couch, feeling like she was melting into it. "We need someone to do that with," she stated, referencing all the previously innocent make out that seemed to be progressing to another level as they watched. She narrowed her eyes, wondering at what point she'd have to drag Brendon out of the room to avoid mental scarring.

When she managed to tear her eyes away from the spectacle in front of them and look back at Brendon, he had a weird, considering look on his face.

"Oh no, no, no, no," she declared before he'd even said a word. 

He shrugged. "Fine, it's your loss. I'm a great kisser." 

Nicole breathed sharply out of her nose. "Yeah, I'll totally take your word for it." 

They heard a zipper opening and the two of them were on their feet and heading for the door of the apartment before anything more could happen. 

"Byeee!" Spencer's voice followed them into the hall accompanied by Jon's giggles. 

Brendon slammed the door before leaning heavily against it. "Okay, you're totally right. I can't sit around and watch other people get laid when I haven't had a date in weeks." 

Nicole laughed sarcastically and started to descend the stairs of the apartment building. "Wow, it's been a few whole weeks? How are you even alive?"

Brendon was close on her heels as they descended the five flights. Since the building Jon and Spencer lived in didn't have a working elevator, they'd all seen an improvement in their stamina. That might have been a good thing if it hadn't been the cause of Jon and Spencer's relentless horniness as of late.

Without discussing it, Brendon and Nicole made their way the short distance to their favourite coffee shop.

"Well it's not like you've been celibate for years." Brendon said, resuming the conversation as if they hadn't crossed two streets, ordered coffee, and sat down at a table since her last comment.

Nicole rolled her eyes and blew lightly on her drink in a futile attempt to stop it from burning her mouth. "That's not the point. I don't know about you, but I'm not about to go phoning one of my exes for a hook up. I'm not that desperate."

Brendon seemed to consider the notion, and Nicole wasn't fully certain if he was joking, or actually going through a mental list of everyone he'd ever slept with. "Yeah, you're right. I'd rather meet someone new anyway. But, like, how do people even meet nowadays?"

"You sound so old," Nicole laughed at him. "Why don't you go ask out that guy at the corner table?" She subtly tipped her head in the direction she was referring to, but the subtlety was wasted when Brendon quickly pivoted his whole body to check the guy out.

Brendon turned back to her after he'd taken stock of her suggestion. "Fine, he's cute, but he's holed up in a coffee shop, headphones in, laptop on the free wifi... People don't do that with the hope of being approached by gorgeous strangers." He raised his eyebrows and gestured to himself. "He'd probably just be pissed I interrupted his essay writing or whatever."

Nicole shrugged in a way that admitted she saw his point. "So, what? We go to like a bar or something?" She said, wincing.

"Yes! Exactly!" Brendon actually bounced in his seat at the idea. "We haven't gone to a bar since first year."

"There's a reason for that." Nicole felt resigned to the notion that Brendon was going to force them all to go, but she had to voice her complaints regardless. "It's loud, and expensive, and creepy guys want to grab your ass as you walk by."

Brendon smirked and she smacked his arm before he even made the comment. "They'll probably go for my ass over yours."

"Oh my god, fuck off," she laughed.

"So you're in?" It was phrased as a question, and it had the inflection of a question, but it wasn't really one.

She narrowed her eyes. "Fine, but I have conditions."

He splayed his hands on the table between them. "Fire away." He grinned a little manically and she already felt the regret building.

"Spencer and Jon come."

"Done."

"And Dan and Mike."

"Sure."

"You buy all my drinks."

He hesitated just the slightest amount. "Fine." He took a sip of his coffee and mumbled into the mug, "You're a lightweight anyway."

She chose to ignore him and moved onto the last point. "No one," she raised her eyebrows to indicate she was being deadly serious, "is allowed to cock-block me."

Brendon burst out laughing, drawing the attention of most of the cafe. The guy in the corner even looked up long enough to shoot a pissed off glance at them. "When have we ever-" His voice died off as her glare hardened. "Okay, so maybe there were one or two times." He admitted reluctantly. There were countless occasions where Brendon had either stolen or scared off a potential hookup, and she was more than willing to start listing examples.

Nicole ran her tongue along the inside of her mouth to keep the biting remark from slipping out. "Do we have a deal?" she asked instead.

"Oh, you bet!" Brendon offered her a hand and she reluctantly shook it across the table as he dug his phone out of his pocket with the other hand and started to send invitation texts to their friends.

"I think this part goes without saying, but if you find someone to hook up with-"

"When." Brendon absentmindedly cut in.

" _When_ you find someone to hook up with," she continued, "go back to their place."

He slowly raised his eyes from his phone screen to her face. "Why do you get to use the apartment?"

She tilted her head to the side. "I don't really have a good reason," he started to open his mouth to say something, "but I call dibs."

"Fuck," Brendon swore, a little too loudly for the volume of the cafe.

Nicole hid her grin behind her coffee mug before downing the rest of it.

\------------

They ended up at one of those places that is much more like a club than a bar. It was pretty cool outside as far as weather on the southern west coast tended to go, but the guys were all in t shirts and Nicole had opted for one of her shorter skirts. If all of her tights hadn't been dirty she could have at least covered her legs, but alas, she had to go without. Brendon was bouncing on the spot with excitement, not feeling the cold at all. The line to get in was down the block, but they'd been waiting long enough that they were almost to the door. 

Spencer had his arms wrapped around Jon in an attempt to keep them both warm, while Mike and Dan were chatting about some class they had together, and what assignments were due after the break was over. Brendon turned to Nicole, adopting a serious facial expression. "Let's make a pact that we get laid tonight." He stuck out his pinky and waited for a response. 

"This isn't one of those pacts where if we don't find other people, we have to sleep with each other, right?" she asked, warily.

"No! It's more of an equality thing. No one gets laid unless everyone does." He raised his voice for the last part, looking pointedly at Jon and Spencer. They scoffed and ignored him. He really couldn't stop them, he supposed. He returned his attention to Nicole, and his still outstretched pinky. 

Nicole sighed deeply before wrapping her own pinky around his. "I guess I can't say no to equality," she said sarcastically.

Brendon grinned. "That's my girl." Just then the line started moving, and they released each other to adjust their outfits and mess up their hair in just the right way. They each looked at the other for reassurance, and once the head nods of approval had been given, they passed the bouncer and entered the bar. 

**Choose your path:**

**To follow Brendon's perspective and make choices for him, go to chapter 3.**

**To follow Nicole's perspective and make choices for her, go to chapter 4.**


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, look. You didn't follow the rules. That's all fun and cute, but it's really not going to work.

This thing only functions if you go to the chapter you were supposed to, and clearly you didn't, since this chapter only exists to scold you. Bad reader.

If you continue reading numerically from here, it's going to be a bunch of disjointed stories that contradict each other, and that's just stupid. Go back and read the introduction again, or admit that you get how it works, you just wanted to be a rebellious shit disturber. No one likes that personality trait unless you're Brendon and are adorable enough to make it endearing.

This is your last warning. I might not be able to tell who you are, but know that karma will. You'll receive chain letters in your email for the next forty years, and your toenails will all rot off. Plus you'll have nothing but bad hair days, ooh, spooky.

Did I scare you enough to participate? Probably not. You probably feel even more inclined to break the rules. Oh well, go right ahead. You're so predictable.

**GO BACK TO CHAPTER ONE AND THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE DONE.**

fuck.


	3. Chapter 3

Brendon grabbed Nicole's hand and lead the way into the club, their friends following along behind them as they headed straight for the bartender. It was already overcrowded in the small underground room, and more people were constantly being allowed to enter. He wove through the sweaty bodies on the dance floor, doing his best to touch as few as possible. 

"Beer," Nicole announced when they reached their destination, since she's the only one the bartender would give the time of day to. She gestured in a way that included all of them in her order. He winked at her before going to pour six pints of a local craft beer. The guys all dug money out of their pockets, and Brendon reluctantly gave double to cover Nicole's share. 

The beer was cold and hoppy, and Brendon would have preferred something fruity, but he sipped it in contentment regardless. They'd gathered around a tall table that was the perfect height to stand at, and surveyed the people around them. This club was far enough from campus that most of the people looked genuinely over 21, and not just pretending to be with a fake ID. It wasn't strictly a gay club, but it was in the part of town where most of them were located, so the crowd was definitely of a more diverse and experimental demeanour. 

Brendon liked to judge how gay locations were by how out of place Dan and Mike looked. While he'd been informed that he was no longer allowed to refer to them as "The Straights" out loud, it was still one of the defining characteristics of them in his head. He'd never really had straight friends before, since all the ones he'd met growing up were raging homophobes. Brendon, however, liked them regardless of their sexual orientation. He just had to remind himself occasionally that not everyone was queer, and watching as Mike and Dan stood out like sore thumbs in a sea of sequins and bright colours, he decided he liked the club.

He turned his attention away from the conversation his friends were engulfed in, and scanned the room for possibilities. No one immediately stood out from the crowd, but there were certainly a few decent looking people he wouldn't mind taking home. Every time he looked at Jon and Spencer's familiar touches and extended eye contact, he was reminded how lonely he was. Well, lonely was a pretty strong word, he really just wanted someone to sleep with and maybe cuddle afterwards. 

Both Mike and Dan claimed to have girlfriends, though no one else had met them yet. That left Nicole as his only other ally in singledom. He nudged her and pointed across the floor to a really tall guy who was dancing with the most awkwardness Brendon had ever seen. Nicole shrugged after checking out the guy, and Brendon wiggled his eyebrows at her. "We could make this more interesting, you know." He leaned in close so he wouldn't have to yell over the music.

"Jesus, you want to bet money on this or something? We're supposed to both find hook ups and leave happy. What more interest do you require?" She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

"A little healthy competition never hurt anyone!" he tried to defend. "We don't have the challenges of being limited to one gender, so it's really all too easy if you think about it."

Nicole made a _get on with it_ gesture with her hand. "Okay," he decided it was a good sign that she was hearing him out, "first one to get tall, dark, and dreamy to make out with them gets to use the apartment tonight."

Nicole burst out laughing. "Nice try, but that's already mine. You'll have to offer up an actual prize to make this worth it."

Brendon considered for a moment. "How about I do your laundry for a month if you win, and vice versa."

Nicole jutted out her bottom lip. "Not bad. You having clean clothes for once would be nice, so I win either way." He shoved her shoulder and barely managed to stop himself from smelling his armpit.

Nicole's drink was almost empty, so Brendon decided to play dirty, knocking it over to cause a distraction as he took off through the crowd to find his target. He couldn't stop the laugh that burst from his chest when Nicole shrieked after him something about being a big fat cheater.

He was in the very middle of the dance floor when a mistimed glance over his shoulder caused him to walk directly into someone. Brendon took a small step back, not able to manage much more with the density of the people around, and started apologizing before fully taking in the guy he'd hit. His initial disappointment that it hadn't serendipitously been the guy he was looking for, was replaced with a quicker heart rate and a rush of excitement. 

This guy wasn't as freakishly tall as the other one, but he was still taller than Brendon, which was his preference. He was ridiculously gorgeous, and also looked ridiculously out of place on that dance floor. Brendon found it easier to picture him at a poetry reading than where he currently was.

"Sorry," Brendon said again. 

The guy shrugged but didn't say anything in response. 

**Choose your path:**

**To ask the guy you bumped into to dance, go to chapter 5.**

**To pass by and look for the taller guy to win the bet, go to chapter 6.**


	4. Chapter 4

Brendon grabbed Nicole's hand and lead the way into the bar, their friends following along behind them as they headed straight for the bartender. It was already overcrowded in the small underground room, and more people were constantly being allowed to enter. The music was pumping loudly, and she kept glancing over her shoulder to make sure they hadn't lost the others.

They got to the bar and Brendon tried to get served for a few moments before Nicole leaned forward and waved the guy down. "Beer," she requested. She gestured in a way that included all of them in her order. He winked at her before going to pour six pints of a local craft beer. The guys all dug money out of their pockets, and she gladly let Brendon pay for hers.

The beer was refreshing in the mugginess of the bar, and she sipped it slowly to savour the taste. They'd gathered around a tall table that was the perfect height to stand at, and surveyed the people around them. The dance floor took up the majority of the place, and it was packed with moving bodies. She stared at it for a moment, hypnotized by the way it seemed to move as one giant organism.

"I can't believe Urie brought us to a club," Mike said, leaning his elbows heavily on the table. "People only come to these places to hook up or do drugs." 

"Or because they're young and stupid," Spencer added. 

"Does anyone have drugs?" Dan asked, and Nicole couldn't tell if he was joking. They all looked to Jon who shook his head sadly. 

"Why didn't you bring Maya and Teren?" Nicole asked. 

"They already had plans with each other," Mike responded sadly.

"You should have made them come with," Jon said.

"Next time for sure," Dan said.

"There'd better not be a next time," Nicole muttered just loud enough to be heard. The guys all grinned at her except Brendon, but it seemed like he wasn't paying attention. He nudged her and pointed across the floor to a really tall guy who was dancing like a drunken giraffe on ice. She thought he was handsome from the distance they were viewing him at, but he wasn't anything to write home about. She shrugged, about to tell Brendon he should go for it when his weird eyebrow twitching made her pause. 

"We could make this more interesting, you know." He was talking at a normal volume, so she was the only one who could hear him over the loud music.

"Jesus, you want to bet money on this or something? We're supposed to both find hook ups and leave happy. What more interest do you require?" She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

"A little healthy competition never hurt anyone!" he tried to defend. "We don't have the challenges of being limited to one gender, so it's really all too easy if you think about it."

Nicole wanted to point out that neither of them was getting laid regularly, but instead she waited to hear where he was going with this line of reasoning. "Okay," he started, seeming even more excited, "first one to get tall, dark, and dreamy to make out with them gets to use the apartment tonight."

Nicole burst out laughing. The nerve of this guy. "Nice try, but that's already mine. You'll have to offer up an actual prize to make this worth it."

Brendon narrowed his eyes at her. "How about I do your laundry for a month if you win, and vice versa."

Nicole tried to contain the smirk that wanted to accompany her insult. "Not bad. You having clean clothes would be a miracle, so I win either way." He shoved her shoulder as she laughed.

**To decide you want to leave the club and go home, go to chapter 27.**

**To stay and try to win the bet, keep reading.**

Nicole had left her drink on the table, and without warning, Brendon smacked it over, successfully spilling the remaining beverage onto the floor. When Nicole turned to yell at him, he'd already slipped off into the crowd to find the tall guy. "Mother fucker," Nicole swore, "you're such a cheater!" she yelled at his back, taking off through the crowd herself.

She figured it would be faster to go around the edges where people were more spread out, whereas Brendon had taken the path of most resistance. She was able to make it to the other side of the room pretty quickly, losing sight of wherever Brendon had disappeared to. The tall guy was still dancing, though he seemed to be alone. He was moving to his own beat, his rhythm no where near the one the music was making.

She walked right up to him, determined to beat Brendon and have something to tease him about for the next century or so. "Hey," she greeted over the music. The guy's hips slowly came to a halt as he stopped to check her out. 

She apparently passed his criteria, since he grinned and said, "Hey, yourself." 

She was pretty sure the straightforward approach would work with this guy, so wasting no time, she said, "Would you mind if we made out so I could win a bet?"

The guy's eyes widened and he nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. I mean, totally. Bets are important," he rambled, stepping closer to her. 

She tried to smile rather than rolling her eyes. He bent over a bit as she raised onto her toes and gripped his shoulders. His mouth tasted like the red wine he'd been drinking, as his tongue quickly poked between her lips. Just as his hand was moving to her waist, she let go and stepped back. 

"Thanks, I appreciate it." She pat him on the arm before feeling weird about that choice.

"Anytime," he smiled down at her, staring as she backed away from him. She caught Brendon's eye through the crowd where he seemed to be talking to some other guy. She stuck out her tongue as he raised a middle finger at her, and she laughed, enjoying the victory.

She started to navigate her way back to the table where the others were still camped out when there was a sound of a sharp slap right next to her. She spun around and saw a large bearded man holding a hand to his cheek and looking murderously and some blonde girl. Nicole stood still for a second, waiting to see what was happening.

"You've got some fucking nerve," the guy said, taking a step closer to the woman.

"I was going to say the same to you," she replied coolly, standing her ground and looking just as pissed off.

He bared his teeth in an almost growl and wound up like he was going to smack her back. Nicole's reflexes kicked in before she had time to process the choice, and she stepped up to the girl, linking her arm through hers and pulling her back a little.

"Hey Steph, our rides's here!" She pretended to be cheery and tipsy, as if she hadn't noticed the man in front of them or what she'd just walked into. She wasn't even sure where that made up name came from, it just seemed to suit her.

The woman turned her head to look at Nicole calculatingly before softening and deciding to go with it.

She turned back to the guy. "If you'd excuse us, I have better places to be," she remarked, dragging Nicole deeper into the crowd. The man stood still, unsure of what to do, before huffing and going to the bar. "Thanks. You didn't have to do that." She released Nicole's arm but didn't move away.

Nicole nodded. "What even was that?" She knew it was none of her business, but curiosity got the better of her.

The woman shrugged. "He was just being a douche. Trying to grab my ass and stuff after I told him to lay off."

Nicole nodded again, this time with empathy. She'd told Brendon this shit happened at bars like this. "I'm Nicole by the way." She offered her hand to shake, instantly regretting how formal it felt.

"Z." She smiled and grasped Nicole's hand with both of hers.

Nicole's face scrunched up. "Z like the letter of the alphabet?" She nodded. "You don't have to give me a fake name. I promise I'm not creepy."

Z laughed and shook her head. "It's not. I swear, if my friends hadn't already left, I could get them to vouch for me, but alas, they made the smart call to bail half an hour ago." She cast her gaze around the bar with no small amount of disdain.

"Well, Z, if that really is your name," Nicole teased, "my friends are still here if you want to come join us?"

Z looked her over again with that calculating gaze that made Nicole feel like her entire life's story was written on her face. "Sure, why not?"

Nicole lead the way back to where the guys were still standing. Before she got a chance to introduce Z to everyone, Spencer leaned across the table, grabbing her wrist and seeming much more drunk than he'd been when she left. "Duuude, we saw you get it on with that super tall dude! Way to go!"

Nicole had temporarily forgotten about the bet, so she blushed and covered her face at the memory. "Oh my god no, I had a bet with Brendon. It's not important. This is Z," she rambled before trying to change the subject. "Z, this is Spencer, Jon, Mike, and Dan. Brendon is somewhere, probably trying to find someone to hook up with."

They all smiled at Z as she waved hello. Jon snorted when she'd mentioned Brendon, apparently having been keeping tabs on him. "Oh yeah, he's certainly trying. He's been talking to that weirdly dressed guy for a while, but he doesn't seem to be getting anywhere." They all turned to spot Brendon leaning against a wall, talking to some guy they could only see the back of. Brendon seemed to notice them staring and sent a glare in their direction.

They burst out laughing, and after a few seconds, Mike cleared his throat. "So Z, how do you know Nicole?"

Z grinned and flung an arm around Nicole's shoulders. Her stomach fluttered a little as she studied the side of Z's face. "We go way back. I think we met at one of Steph's parties, right?"

Nicole played along, feeling Z's body shake with silent laughter. "Oh yeah, that was quite a few years ago. Steph's such a party animal."

"Real spit fire if you ask me." They grinned at each other, and the guys looked confused.

"Umm, shots anyone?" Dan offered, disappearing towards the bar without waiting for a response.

"He'd better not get tequila," Nicole noted, scrunching her face up in disgust.

Z smirked at Nicole. "Sounds like a fun story should come with that." Nicole shook her head, not wanting to relive the messy nights and painful hangovers that had been her tequila phase.

"Can we dance?" Spencer suddenly asked Jon. He grabbed his boyfriend's hands and dragged him onto the dance floor, turning around to grind against him.

Z turned to Nicole with raised eyebrows. She didn't look judgmental, just amused. "They're always like that," Nicole said with a fond eye roll. Mike nodded in agreement.

Dan brought the shots back, and they were indeed tequila.

A few shots later, they were all dancing manically and it was the funniest thing ever. Nicole eyes were watering and her sides were aching as she bounced next to Z, leaning on her to not fall down. Mike was flipping his hair around and playing air guitar, and Dan pulled out every cliche dad dance move he could think of.

Spencer and Jon had disappeared a few songs ago, and she was pretty sure they wouldn't be seen for the rest of the evening.

She shouted to Z over the music, "I need some air." The stuffy heat of the bar was suffocating in conjunction with the uncontrollable laughter and exertion of dancing wildly. She hadn't expected Z to join her, but she was pleased when she heard the footsteps on the stairs behind her and turned to see Z.

The sidewalk outside was startlingly empty and quiet. Her ears were ringing from the music, and she took some deep breaths, leaning against the wall of the building and closing her eyes.

Z adopted the same pose, their arms pressed together. Z lifted her wrist to check the time, and Nicole was hyper aware of the friction of their skin brushing together.

"I think I need to get going," Z said slowly.

Nicole frowned before she could help it, the disappointment catching her off guard. "Oh?"

"I live pretty far away, and since I got ditched by my so-called friends, I'll have to walk."

Nicole paused, wondering what she should say.

**Choose your path:**

**To invite Z back to your apartment, go to chapter 7.**

**To offer to pay for Z's taxi, go to chapter 8.**


	5. Chapter 5

"Did you want to dance? Like with me?" Brendon asked, trying to smile in a seductive way.

The guy furrowed his brow. "I'm not really into dancing."

"That's fine. Can I buy you a drink?..." he trailed off and raised his eyebrows, hoping the guy would offer up his name without having to be actually asked.

"Yeah, sure." Brendon deflated slightly, but followed close behind as he went towards the bar.

"I'm Brendon, by the way," he said in a way that was not the smoothest he'd ever managed. He wasn't sure why he felt so flustered around this guy with the strange scarf.

"Brendon," he repeated slowly, as if hearing how the phonemes sounded in his own mouth. "Ryan."

Brendon smiled and thanked his lucky stars that the bartender immediately offered them service so he wouldn't have to awkwardly flag him down. "What did you want?" he asked Ryan.

Ryan shrugged. "Whatever you're having."

Brendon's smile grew. "Two strawberry daiquiris, please."

Ryan laughed through his nose, and Brendon responded defensively, "They're delicious. People who tell you otherwise are insecure in their masculinity."

Ryan studied his face for a few seconds, seeming unsure of what to make of him. Brendon was used to this reaction to him, but he wasn't used to the way it made him feel when Ryan did it. He wanted to make him laugh again.

The bartender came back with the drinks, and Brendon tipped him an amount that he would later regret, muttering a, "Keep the change," and feeling like an ass.

They navigated away from the busy section around the bar, and found a back wall to lean against. The music was still echoing loudly, but there weren't as many voices to compete with.

Ryan swirled his straw through the drink and took a sip, smiling and nodding when Brendon looked at him expectantly. "Okay, it's delicious."

Brendon bit back an _I told you so,_ and decided on something else to say. "So Ryan, what brings you here on this particular evening?" He sipped his drink, savouring the fruity flavour and crunching the blended ice between his teeth. It was so much better than beer. "No good poetry readings going on?"

Ryan scoffed. "Ugh, poetry. Some friends dragged me out here. It's actually-" he paused before seeming to decide he'd said too much to not continue, "my birthday."

Brendon's eyes lit up, but Ryan quickly continued. "I am not a birthday person. They're fine for other people, but I didn't want a party, or to be the centre of attention. I didn't realize that in denying them the ability to throw me a party, I'd be allowing them to drag me to a club and ditch me, though."

Brendon frowned and inched slightly closer to him. "That's so sad. No one should be abandoned on their birthday. I mean, no one should be abandoned ever, but even less so on the one day a year where they're to be celebrated and treated specially." He was genuinely upset with Ryan's friends for doing that to him, and Ryan seemed to notice he was getting emotional.

"Hey, no, it's whatever. I don't need to be celebrated."

Brendon glared down at his drink, feeling somehow betrayed by it being empty. "Next round's on me," Ryan offered with a smile.

"No way! I can't let you pay on your birthday!" Brendon placed an unnecessary hand on Ryan's chest, stopping him from moving, even though he hadn't tried yet. Ryan laughed, a little surprised, but didn't argue. Brendon realized his hand was still on Ryan because of the slight amount of warmth that was making its way through the layers of clothing into his palm. "What do you want?" he asked, blushing a little at the way his words could be interpreted, especially with how close they were still standing.

Ryan didn't seem to notice the innuendo. "Same again." Brendon nodded and dove into the crowd, hoping his blush wasn't as obvious as it felt like it was. He passed near the table where his friends still were, nodding at them as he passed but not stopping to talk. There was a girl with them he didn't recognize, and he hoped it was Nicole's hook up of choice, because she was gorgeous. He tried to wink at Nicole, but her gaze was glued on the woman and he couldn't catch her eye. 

He found Ryan in the same spot he left him, as if no time at all had passed. Ryan was people watching, a small, unreadable expression on his face. 

He handed Ryan the drink, and clinked his own against it. "To your birthday," he proposed as a toast.

"To friendly strangers," Ryan replied with a smile.

Brendon sipped his drink and fidgeted a little. "So, how many more of those do I have to buy you before you'll cave and dance with me?" He nudged Ryan playfully with his elbow.

"I'd have to get alcohol poisoning to even consider it." Ryan's voice was deadpan, but his lips curled a little with a smirk.  
  
"Aww, come on," he whined. "Look at all the fun those people are having." He gestured at the dance floor. 

Ryan pulled the straw out of his drink just enough so that when he sucked on it, an obnoxious slurping sound was made. He stared pointedly at Brendon. "Not going to happen."

"What are you afraid of? Your friends left, so no one here even knows you." Brendon finished his drink and sat it down on the floor at their feet. He was feeling just the slightest bit buzzed, and buzzed Brendon liked to dance. "I'll lead. All you have to do is stand there and look adorable." 

Ryan snorted, looking at him carefully. He lifted one side of his mouth, just the slightest admittance that he was considering it. Brendon jumped on the opening, grabbing his hands and placing the drink on the floor next to his. His hips started moving of their own accord as he lead Ryan a few steps towards the other dancers. He kept them on the outskirts so it wasn't too overwhelming.

Ryan stood still. His hands that were still in Brendon's were the only part of his body that moved, and only because Brendon was making them. He stepped a little closer, sliding his hands to rest on Ryan's hips and gently guided them to the beat. Ryan blushed and ducked his head, allowing himself to be moved by Brendon. "See, you're not even that bad," Brendon fibbed.

Ryan bit his lip to hide the grin on his face. Brendon thought he was just about the most stunning man he'd ever met. He resisted the urge to tell him so. 

They danced for a few songs before Brendon eventually conceded that they could stop. Ryan even started to get into it by the end, bouncing along to the music, and shouting excitedly when he actually knew a song. It was the original versions he recognized more than the trap remixes that were being played, and his face screwed up in annoyance whenever a song switched up in a weird way and he was left mouthing the wrong lyrics. Brendon laughed at him and lost himself in the moment. 

By the time they were giving up on dancing, Ryan had a light flush on his cheeks, and he even unwound the decorative scarf from his neck to allow himself to breathe more easily. "I'm exhausted," Ryan announced, once they were leaning against the wall again and he could be heard.

Brendon laughed, having barely broken a sweat. He could have gone for a few more hours easily.  
Brendon studied Ryan's face for a moment, trying to think of ways to extend their time together.

**Choose your path:**

**To ask if you can go back to his house with him, go to chapter 11.  
To ask if you can have his number, go to chapter 18.**


	6. Chapter 6

Brendon studied the guy for a few seconds, and when he couldn't even get him to make eye contact, he shrugged and moved on. The crowd was undulating around him, and he got pushed from side to side as he tried to navigate it. By the time he found the tall guy again, Nicole was already there, standing on her toes to kiss him.

Brendon swore as she caught his eye and grinned at him, quickly ditching the guy and heading over. "I guess he wasn't any good if you didn't stick around." Brendon knew he sounded petty because of the loss, but he was still feeling a little off after his run in with that strange guy in the crowd.

"God no, he was garbage." Nicole made a show of wiping her mouth off on her sleeve. "Alright, now that I have a laundry slave secured, how about we actually find people to hook up with?"

Brendon nodded on autopilot. "Yeah, let's do it." He grabbed her hand and spun her around as they forced their way onto the dance floor. They instinctively started dancing in that way they'd perfected. It was meant to be sexy, not necessarily fun, but they also had to walk the fine line of not looking like they were too into each other. They'd spent many a night dancing together, and they'd gotten it down to an art form. Before the first song had ended, a man came and cut in, asking if he could dance with Brendon.

The guy was fine looking, but not really his type. When he shook his head with an apologetic look on his face, the guy instantly turned to Nicole and offered again. Brendon had to hold back from scoffing when she pulled a curtsy and accepted.

There was a group of girls dancing together nearby, and he easily joined in with them. Girls tended to like his easygoing, flamboyant attitude. He danced with them for a while before deciding they'd all deemed him unfuckable, and he left to go back to the table where the others still were.

"Tough break, dude." Mike patted him on the back while Spencer shook his head with disappointment written all over it.

"Which part?" Brendon asked, wondering how much they'd seen.

Jon laughed. "All of it." They laughed again as he lowered his forehead to rest on the table.

"I think I'm just going to go. Can I crash at your place?" he asked Spencer and Jon.

"Why?" Spencer asked.

"Nicole called dibs, and it seems like she's got a better chance of making use of our place anyway." They nodded in agreement, and he felt more than a little annoyed.

"Sure thing." Spencer started feeling around in his pockets for a key, but Brendon waved it away, producing the copy of it he still had from when he'd stayed with them for a few weeks. Spencer narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything. Brendon was pretty sure he'd be hearing about it later.

"You guys are staying?" They all shrugged, seeming indifferent.

Jon answered for them, "Yeah, probably just for a little longer."

Brendon nodded. "Okay, see you later then. Thanks for coming out, guys."

Dan clapped him on the shoulder. "Always worth it to see you strike out."

**Brendon went to Spencer's house alone.** **To go back to your previous choice, go to chapter 3.**

**To restart the story, go to chapter 1.**


	7. Chapter 7

"My place is really close to here. If you wanted to stay over, you'd be more than welcome," Nicole offered.

Z studied her face in the streetlight, and Nicole wondered if this wasn't the peak of stranger danger. Should she make a joke about not being a serial killer, or would that be too predictable?

"Sure." Z's voice startled her, saying the exact opposite thing she'd expected to hear.

"Oh, really?"

"Unless you didn't mean it when you offered, in which case I was joking."

Nicole laughed. "No, I meant it." She tilted her head a little, perplexed by Z's entire existence. "Come on, it's this way."

Z seemed to have a compulsive need to walk along any curb or raised platform they passed as if it was a balance beam. Nicole watched her hop precariously from one ledge to the next, flailing her arms but never falling. The weather felt like it was on the verge of raining any second, and Nicole tried to keep the pace up so they wouldn't get caught in it.

When they got to her apartment, the building felt abandoned. They lived in a decent area where it was mostly young families. Nicole realized it must have been a school night, because everyone was in bed and the halls were silent. She heard her footsteps louder than usual as she lead the way, taking the stairs two at time to get this weird part over with. 

As she fumbled with the mass of keys attached to her key ring, Z leaned against the wall next to her door and studied her. The close inspection didn't help her task, and it took her a full minute to actually let them into the unit.

She waved her arm around the room in a sweeping gesture, since the whole apartment consisted of one large room, apart from the bedrooms and bathroom. "This is it, in all its glory." Looking at it with Z standing next to her, it suddenly felt small and embarrassing. She and Brendon spent so little time there, it hardly even felt homey. Z seemed not to mind though, since she made a noise of approval and flounced over to sit in front of their shared record collection. 

Nicole laughed and followed her over, standing close by to watch over her head. "Did you want some water? Anything to eat?" 

Z laughed and grabbed at her hand, pulling her to sit down next to her on the rug. "You don't need to play hostess. I'm fine, and if I decide I want something, I'll go rummaging around in your cupboards when you're not looking."

Nicole smiled. "Feel free. Make yourself at home." She had a strange habit of resorting to cliches whenever she didn't know what to say, and each time she did it, Z looked at her like she'd come from a different planet. "What kind of music are you feeling like?"

Z tilted her head to the side and continued to scan the shelves of records. "I can't possibly commit to one album. There are at least five at a glace that I need to listen to before leaving." She started pulling them out and stacking them on the floor.

Nicole picked up the top one, making a humming noise at her choice, and popped open the lid of the player to get it going. Z finished her perusal of the records, and seeming content with her choices, she got up and turned out the lights.

She joined Nicole back on the rug, laying down with her head in Nicole's lap. "This is the most ideal way to listen to music."

Nicole wasn't sure if she was talking about the vinyl, laying in the dark, or the close proximity they had to each other, but she agreed regardless. "Yeah, I think it just might be."

They laid there for a while, talking about the music, their friends, and just life in general, only pausing when one of them had to get up to flip the record over or change it for a new one. They ended up laying next to each other on their stomachs, heads pillowed on their hands. 

The way Z smiled at her gave her butterflies, and every time she told a corny joke that had Z crying because she was laughing too hard, it felt better than anything else ever had. The longer they talked, the more Nicole only had one question she wanted to ask, and eventually she couldn't keep the words down any longer.

"I know this isn't the best time to ask this, but it's on my mind, so I kind of just want to ask it anyway." She hesitated and Z nudged her shoulder encouragingly.

"You can ask me anything."

"Right, umm, would you ever kiss a girl?" Z smiled like she'd been told a joke before seemingly considering it. 

"Probably. Under the right circumstances, and if it was someone I liked." Nicole nodded wordlessly. "I don't think I'd do it as a joke, or because some guy said it would be hot though. Somehow that doesn't feel like something I'd do."

Nicole studied her face in the dark, feeling suffocated by the close proximity of their bodies, and the possibilities that offered her.

"Would you?" Z's voice came again. Somehow she hadn't expected to have the question turned around on her. 

A beam of light briefly illuminated Z's face as a fork of lightning struck outside, and Nicole couldn't find it in herself to say anything other than the truth. "Yeah, I would." She took a deep breath before forcing out, "and I have." 

Despite everything she knew about Z, she was still relieved when her reaction wasn't one of judgement or disgust. "What? How did I not guess that?" She sounded intrigued. 

Nicole shrugged, the position she was in on her stomach not really aiding that motion. "Honestly, most of my friends are gay, so I don't have to come out much anymore. Sometimes I forget that most people assume you're straight until you tell them otherwise. Plus, I'm told I dress pretty gay in my normal life. I'm not typically a miniskirt kind of girl."

Z's eyebrows raised just the slightest fraction, but she seemed to decide not to push that line of questioning. She instead said, "What was it like the first time?"

Nicole's cheeks blushed. "I dunno, nice?"

Z flopped onto her back with a dramatic sigh. "Come on! I need details!"

Nicole's mind rewound to that memory, playing small, zoomed in details instead of the whole picture. "It was soft. At least at first. I was pretty terrified, but I felt like everything just kind of made sense." She'd closed her eyes, but opened them again when she felt Z moving closer. 

They were laying next to each other on the floor now, and Nicole rolled onto her side to face Z. Her hair fell into her eyes a little, and that layer somehow felt like a shield to hide behind.

"And then what?" Z prompted.

"Her mom came home and we acted like nothing had happened?" Nicole twitched one side of her mouth in a half smile. That feeling of panic when they'd almost been caught felt funny in retrospect. 

"Pity." Z's voice wasn't deeper or quieter, but it somehow sounded more imbued with meaning all of a sudden. 

**Choose your path:**

**To touch her hair and smile at her, go to chapter 20.**

**To kiss her, go to chapter 19.  
**


	8. Chapter 8

"You shouldn't have to walk, let me call you a cab." Z looked at her with raises eyebrows.

"Thank you, that's really sweet, but I don't have the money for that." She shrugged a little, not wanting to elaborate.

"I'll pay for it," Nicole offered, not really caring to think through the decision. "It's late, and dark. I don't mind." She pulled out her phone and used an app to get a taxi. She had her bank card attached to the app, so it would automatically charge her for it. "So long as you don't ask the driver to take you to Canada or something, it's no problem."

Z laughed. The car pulled up almost immediately, and Z gripped Nicole's arm, locking their eyes to make her words more genuine. "Thank you. Seriously, you didn't have to."

Nicole smiled and opened the door for her. "Get home safe." She watched the car drive off before heading back inside to find her friends.

**Z** **went home alone.** **To go back to your previous choice, go to chapter 4.**

**To restart the story, go to chapter 1.**


	9. Chapter 9

Brendon pulled out his phone, struggling to form the perfect message that was casual, yet funny, yet intriguing. He deleted and retyped it multiple times before deciding it wasn't going to get much better. He sat his phone down on the table and waited while the others continued to talk near him. He didn't absorb any of their conversation, and when his phone vibrated, he dove for it with an embarrassing level of eagerness.

_Hey Brendon. Thanks for inviting me, but I really hate poetry, as I thought I mentioned last night. I'm pretty busy for the next little while, but I'll text you when I'm free. Ryan._

Brendon stared at his phone, reading the message three times before slumping down on the couch. He'd totally forgotten that interaction from the previous night. If only he'd been paying more attention.

**Brendon didn't get the date.** **To go back to your previous choice, go to chapter 18.**

**To restart the story, go to chapter 1.**


	10. Chapter 10

Brendon pulled out his phone, struggling to form the perfect message that was casual, yet funny, yet intriguing. He deleted and retyped it multiple times before deciding it wasn't going to get much better. He sat his phone down on the table and waited while the others continued to talk near him. He didn't absorb any of their conversation, and when his phone vibrated, he dove for it with an embarrassing level of eagerness.

_Hey Brendon! Thanks for inviting me; I'd love to go. What time and where?_

Brendon let out a victorious whoop and punched the air. Jon and Spencer looked at each other and shook their heads with amused expressions on their faces. "I'm guessing he got a yes," Jon said sarcastically.

"I don't know what could have lead you to that conclusion," Spencer remarked dryly.

Brendon would have glared at them, but he was so pleased in that moment that he couldn't even be bothered.

He texted back the information and slid the phone into his pants, looking smug. He had all of five seconds to savour his victory before it pivoted, hard.

"Oh shit, what am I going to wear?" He looked down at his dirty, wrinkled clothes in dismay.

"I hardly think that will affect anything," Jon commented. He barely paid attention though, as his mind raced through a checklist. The time he'd given Ryan was only a few hours away, and he'd still have to get home and shower. Hopefully Nicole's guest wasn't still over, otherwise he'd have to awkwardly barge in and steal the bathroom.

"Okay, here's the plan," he clapped his hands together for emphasis, "I'll go home and get ready, then you guys swing by and pick me up. If Nicole's free I'll invite her along."

The other two nodded patronizingly as he stared them down, making sure they wouldn't ruin his carefully constructed plan. "And break!" he announced, jumping up from the couch and heading for the door.

He walked all the way home, making great time since he felt light and bouncy and had to literally stop himself from skipping a few times. He was getting carried away. This was only a date.

He opened the front door of the apartment to find Nicole and her date laying sprawled along the couch, luckily wearing clothes. He recognized the shirt the girl was wearing as his own, and under any other circumstances he probably would have thrown a fit.

"Hey, Nicole. Hey, Nicole's friend. Want to come to the movies?" He barely looked at them as he rummaged around the room, trying to find a specific pair of Converse he could have sworn he'd seen under a table a few months back. "Spencer, Jon, and my friend Ryan are all coming." He was on his hands and knees peering below things when Nicole's voice answered.

"Z, this is Brendon. Brendon, meet Z."

Z giggled, seeming amused by their interactions. "Hi Brendon, great to finally meet you."

He popped his head back out to look at them. "The pleasure's all mine," he said genuinely. She seemed nice enough, and Nicole looked about as happy as he felt. "So, movie? You've got about forty five minutes to get ready if you're coming." He returned to his search as they debated it amongst themselves.

"Do you want to? You can borrow some of my clothes," Nicole offered.

Z laughed again, but this time it was deep and genuine. "Ooh, unexpected bi perks." Brendon heard a sound like Nicole shoving her, and Z squeaking as she almost fell off the couch. He decided the shoes were either in his bedroom, or had disappeared into that other dimension where lost things go. "I mean, I don't have anywhere to be." As Brendon passed them, he could see them kissing out of the corner of his eye. He was so torn between awwing and whistling that he couldn't make up his mind which to go with, and ended up missing his chance to say anything as he was already in his room by the time his brain decided to stop spinning.

He felt painfully aware of how little sleep he'd had as stood under the spray of the shower, feeling his eyes droop shut and having to hold himself upright with a palm flat against the tiled wall. Every time he thought about seeing Ryan again, his stomach dropped and he got nervous. He didn't know why it felt like he was walking such a fine line with happiness on one side and despair on the other.

He dried off his hair with a towel, hoping the shape it air-dried into would be sufficient since he didn't have time to really style it. He went back and forth between multiple levels of overdressed before finally throwing on his favourite t shirt and jeans, and settling for a different pair of Converse. He felt good in the outfit, and hoped Ryan wouldn't be overdressed. On second thought, if last night was anything to go by, Ryan would almost certainly be overdressed, at least in the most literal sense.

He went back out to the living room to find the girls not out yet, and he banged a threat onto her bedroom door before telling them he was going to wait outside.

He went and sat on the steps of the building, feeling wound up and jittery in his own skin. His knee bounced frantically as he watched the people walking by, all having their own lives and places to be. He spent a few minutes that felt like hours trying to imagine what each of their stories were. Maybe that woman with the tight bun was going to jury duty, or that guy with the guitar case and the great ass was a famous musician he should recognize but definitely didn't.

Spencer and Jon pulled up to the curb, honking an obnoxious tune that explained all the dirty looks he got from his neighbours whenever he passed them in the halls. He went to turn around and drag Nicole out, but just then the door was opening and everything was falling into place.

They all crammed into the back of the car, Nicole supposedly in the middle but really more on Z's lap. It was a short drive to the theatre, but just as they were arriving, the radio station that had been playing through the speakers changed songs, and Z gasped and yelled at them to turn it up. She and Nicole started loudly belting the song at each other, and even once Spencer had parked the car, they sat with it idling until the song had finished.

Nicole and Z went off into the theatre in search of popcorn while Brendon waited anxiously by the curb looking for Ryan. The other guys looked at him hesitantly, wondering if they should wait with him.

"Go on inside and get us all tickets. I'll come find you when he gets here." Brendon put on his best confident smile, and Spencer and Jon conceded after a silent conversation between themselves consisting wholly of facial expressions.

As each second passed, the thought that he was being stood up loomed ominously at the back of his mind. He tried to tell himself that it was only the ribbing he'd get from his friends if Ryan didn't show that was making him worry, but if he was honest with himself, he was more afraid of never seeing Ryan again. Something about that guy got under his skin, and he was really hoping he wouldn't have to find out what that would feel like.

Ryan showed up. He walked around the corner with his hands deep in his pockets and a pair of headphones in. His face lit up when he caught sight of Brendon, and he hastily shoved the headphones in his pocket. Brendon had half a second to consider if he should hug him before Ryan was already wrapping him in a tight embrace.

"Hello again," Ryan said a little roughly in his ear. Goosebumps ran up his spine as he tried to subtly inhale all of Ryan's smell.

"Hey." They broke apart and his hands lingers a few seconds longer on Ryan's arms. He nodded his head in the direction of the door, and Ryan followed him inside. 

Spencer waved them down from over by the concessions. "We're auditorium 17," he said, giving them each a ticket, and Ryan fiddled with it nervously as he glanced from the piece of paper back up to Spencer's face.

"You didn't have to pay for me." Spencer laughed and clapped him on the back. He looked a little startled.

"We take turns paying," Brendon explained. "It was Spencer's turn this week."

Spencer smirked at Brendon. "Somehow this guy's turn always falls on a week where we're going on half-price day. Super lucky I guess." 

Brendon rocked forward on his feet with a feigned innocent smile on his face. "What can I say? I was born lucky." Ryan seemed to relax and smiled at him, and it felt like a victory. They were handed a large bag of popcorn by Jon, and Brendon shoved a huge handful into his mouth. He was pretty sure movie theatre popcorn was unbeatable. "Do you mind sharing?" he asked Ryan when the others were distracted at the soda dispenser.

"Not with you," he said before blushing at his answer. Brendon bit his lip to contain a smile, and offered the snack bag to Ryan. He took one piece and chewed on it slowly, watching the others shove each other as they debated the different flavours of Coke that were available, and if mixing them would be any good. "So, what were their names?"

Brendon's eyes widened. "Fuck, I'm sorry."

Ryan shook his head. "It's fine. I'll probably forget immediately after you tell me anyway."

Brendon laughed. "The tall guy's Spencer, and that's his boyfriend Jon. They're insufferably adorable most of the time. The shorter girl is my roommate Nicole, and the one next to her is Z. They just met like us at the club last night."

"Oh, hey!" He raised his voice a little, and the others turned to look at him. Z's face changed and she ran and jumped on him.

"What?" she exclaimed. "I never though Ryan meant you Ryan. What the hell?" Ryan hugged her back, looking shocked but pleased.

"Well after you all ditched me last night, I made some new friends." Brendon raised his eyebrows. What were the odds the two people they picked up at that club knew each other?

"I didn't ditch you! The others disappeared and I thought you went with them. Then I met Nicole, and kind of forgot to keep looking." She blushed and held her hand out to Nicole, who stepped forward and clasped her hand. Ryan stuck out a hand for Nicole to shake, but she hugged him instead. Z looked amused.

"Huh, that's weird," Jon commented. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"I guess I forgive you then." Ryan seemed to loosen up a little with a friend now in the mix, and he resumed his place next to Brendon as they went to take their seats in the theatre.

Brendon was seated between Ryan and Jon, and he was a little wary of the other couples ignoring the movie to make out the whole time. He was pretty used to it at this point, but he hoped Ryan wouldn't be too freaked out. At least he was on the end and might not notice.

The trailers played, and Brendon kept being tempted to lean over to Ryan and whisper, _we need to see that when it comes out_ , but he didn't want to be too presumptuous. He could already hear the soft giggling of Spencer next to him as Jon whispered something in his ear, and Brendon narrowed his eyes at them. He wasn't above elbowing them into submission.

The lights went the rest of the way down as the movie began, and Brendon shifted the popcorn so Ryan could take a couple more pieces. He put them into his mouth one at a time, chewing slowing and staring at the screen. Brendon was paying more attention to him than the movie, but he couldn't bring himself to care. After eating the snack, Ryan left his arm draped over the arm rest with his hand dangling over the edge. Brendon's eyes locked on, trying to decide if it was the right move to do.

**Choose your path:**

**To hold Ryan's hand, go to chapter 12.**

**To wait until further into the movie to make your move, go to chapter 13.**


	11. Chapter 11

Brendon exhaled all of the air out of his lungs. "Well, if you're tired, we could always call it a night."

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, I think I'm about ready to go home." He ran his fingers through his hair, and Brendon got distracted by the motion.

"Well, I mean," he stepped a little closer to Ryan, "if you wanted to keep hanging out, I don't have plans." 

Ryan looked at him sideways. "I don't think I feel like going out somewhere, and no offence intended, but I hardly know you well enough to bring you back to my house."

Brendon stepped back again and nodded. "Yeah, of course. I totally understand."

Ryan squinted at him, considering. "I don't sleep with people I've only just met."

"No, of course not. I'm sorry." Ryan started to walk away. "Could I have your number?"

Ryan stopped and turned back to face him. "I think you missed your chance for that."

**Ryan went home alone.** **To change your last decision, go to chapter 5.**

**To restart the story, go to chapter 1.**


	12. Chapter 12

Brendon slid the bag to the side of his lap, and pinned it between his leg and the armrest of the seat. He licked the residual butter and salt off of each finger before trying to subtly wipe his hands dry on his pants. Someone on screen must have told a joke, because everyone in the audience apart from Brendon laughed. He could only focus on the way Ryan's sounded, how he tilted his head and squinted without the self-consciousness that plagued him when he was in front of people. He looked so free.

Brendon ran his tongue over his lips, feeling like his mouth was the driest it had ever been. He grabbed the drink in the cup holder between him and Jon, making a face when he tasted the vanilla/strawberry/orange concoction they'd come up with. He made a mental note not to drink any more of it.

He really couldn't stall any longer. His heart was beating a little frantically in his chest as he slid his hand up, touching the back of Ryan's hand. Ryan didn't look at him, but flipped his hand over so Brendon could thread their fingers together. He faced the screen again as a victorious smile spread across his face, making his cheeks sore.

Ryan glanced at him as he tried to play it cool and look indifferent. He leaned a little closer to Brendon to whisper, "You're such a dork." His voice was affectionate, and he ran his thumb over Brendon's knuckles reassuringly before returning his attention to the movie.

They managed to make it through the whole run time without either of the other couples climbing on top of each other, so Brendon counted it as a win. Even though Nicole and Z disappeared for a good portion of it, he figured that was better than having to see whatever they'd gotten up to.

Brendon offered to walk Ryan home as the others piled back into the car. There wasn't enough room for them all, and Ryan said he lived really close by.

"Come on," Ryan grabbed his hand this time and they followed the path back behind the theatre. It was lined by a chain link fence, with hedges growing up through them to hide the backyards of the houses from view. Something about it reminded Brendon of his childhood home, or maybe it was a movie he'd seen when he was younger. It gave the impression of finding a secret passage to another dimension.

Brendon provided most of the conversation, asking him how he liked this part of town, how long he'd lived there, and what he'd thought of the movie. He enjoyed hearing Ryan's opinions about mundane things, and whenever he found a topic Ryan was passionate about, like how absolutely garbage that movie they'd seen had been, he could go off on rants at a million words per minute. It was those times where Brendon just listened, a small smile on his face, and felt happy.

Ryan came to a stop outside of a homey-looking bungalow. It was made of red brick, and had large windows on the front that would have allowed a good view of the inside if the curtains hadn't been drawn. There weren't any cars in the driveway, and Ryan released his hand to turn his back to the house and face Brendon, as if the house were something to be hidden. "Uh, this is it," he said, hands now in his pockets. 

"It's cute." He stepped to the side to get a better view, and Ryan looked at his shoes rather than make eye contact. 

"Did you want to," Ryan started in a rush, catching himself before saying the rest slowly, "come inside? I live with my dad, but he's not home for a few days."

Brendon reflected on the time he'd spent with Ryan.

  


**Choose your path:**

**To accept his offer and go inside, go to chapter 15.**

**To tell him you're better suited to being friends, go to chapter 14.**

  



	13. Chapter 13

Brendon shoved a few more handfuls of popcorn into his mouth before switching to the candy they'd bought. Ryan leaned over, eyes still on the screen. "I'm going to the bathroom. Let me know what I miss."

Brendon nodded slowly, now dedicated to actually finding out what was going on in the movie so he could recount it accurately. He hadn't learned any of the character's names yet, so it took at least five minutes just to figure those out and what their identifying traits were. He was getting decently absorbed by the movie when he realized Ryan had been gone for quite a while. That realization was punctuated by all the power in the theatre suddenly cuting out.

Brendon froze, a feeling of terror gripping him as the emergency lights came on. They cast a strange greenish glow over the inside of the theatre, and he sat perfectly still until the others started mumbling about evacuating or something. They got up, and he gathered Ryan's coat that had been left on his seat.

They filed out into the hall with everyone else from their movie, and realized it had happened to all the screens, not just theirs. It was loud, with everyone talking over each other trying to find out what had happened. Suddenly a hand grabbed Brendon's arm frantically. He turned to see Ryan looking pale.

"Oh my god, I fucked everything up." His eyes were wide and he glanced around quickly to check their surroundings.

"Ryan, there you are. What happened?" Brendon passed him his coat and he fumbled, dropping it before hastening to grab it from the ground and slide it on.

"On my way to the bathroom I found some employees trying to install a new bass system for one of the rooms. They couldn't figure it out, and I noticed that one of the cords wasn't plugged in. I stopped to help, but when I plugged it in we must have overloaded something, and all the power went down." He was speaking so quickly Brendon could hardly understand.

"I don't think it's your fault." He wasn't sure based on the story, but it sounded like they would have done it anyway on their own.

"Well, the manager seems to be of a different mind. She said she'd press charges for destruction of property or some shit. I have to go." He buttoned up his jacket and glanced around the hall again like a caged animal. Brendon didn't get a word in before he'd blended into the crowd.

**Ryan left alone, and was too embarrassed to ever see Brendon again.** **To choose the other path at your last decision, go to chapter 10.**

**To restart the story, go to chapter 1.**


	14. Chapter 14

Brendon kicked a small rock on the ground, watching as it bounced a few times and came to a stop. He weighed all the time they'd spent together over the less than 24 hours he'd known Ryan.

"Look, I think you're awesome, and I love spending time with you." Ryan's face turned into a little frown, barely covered by a mask of indifference. "I just think we'd be better as friends."

Ryan sucked his bottom lip into his mouth. "I get it. I'm kind of an awkward person." He shrugged and tried to smile.

Brendon's heart felt heavy, and he pulled Ryan into a hug. The other boy gripped the back of his shirt tightly for the few moments the embrace lasted.

"I really mean it. I want to be friends with you." Brendon willed Ryan to believe him, and know it wasn't just some cliche to let him down easily. Ryan was fun, and interesting, but there just wasn't a spark. He felt too awkward and adolescent around him. Brendon needed passion and fire in relationships.

Ryan nodded, blinking too often. "Of course, and we will be. Now that it seems Z and Nicole are together, I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other." He took a step towards the house, still facing Brendon. "See you around."

Brendon lifted his hand and smiled sadly, watching him go. He was pretty sure he made the right decision, but it didn't mean he wasn't upset and hurt over it.

A few days passed where Brendon hung out with his friends, occasionally seeing Ryan and realizing that they could definitely pull off the friend thing. They kept their distance from each other, only talking directly to the other one when it was necessary, and never touching under any circumstances. It started to even feel normal.

It wasn't until he was on his way to meet Nicole at the coffee shop, having lost track of time and having to practically run down the street because he was so late, that things started to really look up. Literally. He crashed into a guy so tall and broad that he initially thought a wall had popped up out of nowhere.

He took a step back to be able to see what he'd slammed into, and felt his brain freeze with recognition. They guy looked familiar, but it took him a solid few seconds to place him as the guy from the club. The reason he now had to do Nicole's laundry.

"Sorry about that," the guy said before Brendon had come to his senses. "You kind of flew out of nowhere."

Brendon shook his head, laughing. "No, no, it was my bad. I wasn't looking where I was going." Up close the guy was even more handsome than he'd looked in the club, and he was suddenly jealous that Nicole had gotten to him first for an entirely different reason. "I'm Brendon."

The guy's eyebrows raised by just the smallest fraction at Brendon's forwardness, but he decided to go with it as he responded, "Dallon."

Brendon tried to keep his smile in the range of a sane person as he battled his eyes to keep them on Dallon's face. All they wanted to do was drift downward. "I was just going to meet a friend for coffee. Any chance you'd want to come with?"

Dallon's eyebrows lifted even higher, and he laughed incredulously. "Sure, why the fuck not." He shook his head, seemingly at his own decision to go along with that.

Brendon lead the way, now walking at an only slightly increased walking speed to keep pace with Dallon. He hoped Nicole would still be there, but she hadn't sent any angry messages so he figured they'd be fine.

He opened the door to the cafe and waved Dallon in ahead of him, locking eyes with Nicole across the tables so he could savour her reaction to seeing them together.

Her eyes darted back and forth between them, confusion evident on her features. Brendon lead Dallon over to the table she'd been waiting at, stealing a third chair from a nearby table and sitting backwards on it. "Nicole, this is Dallon. Dallon, Nicole." He waved his hand between them and tried to look innocent.

Dallon stopped, standing next to the table. "Aren't you..." His voice trailed off as she blushed and smacked her head onto the table. Dallon laughed and pulled out the chair to join them.

"What the fuck, Brendon?" Her voice came out muffled from where it was still resting on the table, her hair cascading around her head and blocking her red face from view.

"What? Do you guys know each other? What a small world." He knew his voice sounded fake, but he wasn't sure if Dallon could pick up on it.

Dallon looked at Nicole with an unsure expression. "Uh, I'm going to get coffee. Did you want anything?" He looked at Brendon, seeming to know he wouldn't get a response from Nicole.

"Coffee would be great. Thank you." Brendon waited a few seconds for Dallon to get up to the counter before leaning over the table to Nicole. "Isn't this just the best day ever?"

Nicole flipped her hair back, sitting up and glaring at him. He cheeks had returned to their normal colour, and Brendon couldn't help but laugh at her.

"Was it all a set up?" Brendon furrowed his brow, not sure what she meant. "Did you already know him when you bet me you could kiss him first?"

Brendon burst out laughing. "Oh my god, no, but that would have been brilliant. I literally just ran into him outside." Brendon covered his mouth as the expression on Nicole's face sent him into another fit of laughter.

"The universe hates me," she deadpanned.

"Oh, please. You've got a gorgeous girlfriend who is way too obsessed with you. Let me have this one." His eyes wandered over to Dallon as he leaned over the delivery counter to say something to the barista. He couldn't help but notice how flattering his pants were, and suddenly Brendon's mouth was a little dry.

Dallon came back balancing coffees and baked goods with more grace than you would expect looking at him. Nicole thanked him as she stole a muffin and shoved it into her face, seemingly hoping for a distraction.

"So you were at that club the other night. Does that mean you're single?" Brendon could feel himself being pushy, but the way Dallon's eyes sparkled as he smiled at him made it impossible to stop.

Nicole made a choking sound before coughing up some of the muffin. Brendon pointedly ignored her.

"I am indeed." Dallon's eyes were locked on his, and he felt his body temperature rising by the second.

"Good. That's good." He could see Nicole looking back and forth between them, not able to accept what she was seeing.

"Wow, okay, I'm going to go." She stood up from the table.

Dallon still didn't look away from Brendon as he said, "Bye, Nicole. Was a pleasure to meet you properly."

The corner of Brendon's mouth twitched as he tore his eyes away from Dallon long enough to see Nicole walk out the door. He really hadn't intended to scare her off, but now that they were alone, he wasn't going to complain.

When he looked back, Dallon was sipping his coffee and acting normal again, as if they hadn't just shared the most sexually charged few seconds of Brendon's life.

"So Brendon, tell me about yourself," he said. The sentence would have been better suited to a job interview, and he took a few seconds to wrap his head around it and actually respond.

"Well, I'm an Aries. I like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain." Dallon laughed, that dark gleam returning to his eye for a second before he hid it again. Brendon was pretty sure this was all some game they were playing, he just couldn't figure out what the win conditions were.

"Hmm, Aries and Taurus are extremely sexually compatible," Dallon said. Brendon figured he was bullshitting, but decided to go along with it.

"Yeah, I've definitely heard that." He nodded seriously, even frowning a little. His poker face wasn't as good as Dallon's though, and after a few seconds he broke out in a smile. He pretended to check a watch he wasn't wearing and sighed. "Man, I've got a few hours to kill and nothing to do. If only I could find someone equally bored to spend the time with." He pouted his lip out and put on his best puppy dog eyes.

Dallon made a sympathetic noise. "That is such a shame. If I didn't have such a wildly busy schedule- Oh wait," he pulled out his phone and held it to his ear, "Really? Oh that's too bad." He covered the phone with his hand and whispered to Brendon, "Sounds like my plans are cancelling." He made a few humming noises before pretending to hang up. "What do you know, I'm free too."

Brendon laughed and stood up from the table, leaving his coffee mostly untouched. "My place or yours?"

\---------

They got to Dallon's apartment and barely managed to kick the door shut behind them before Dallon was lifting him up to wrap Brendon's legs around his torso and pin his against the wall. He kissed like it was the last thing they were ever going to do, all licking and panting into each other's mouths, feeling like time was't moving fast enough and why weren't they naked yet.

Dallon moved to kiss along his cheek and lick the curve of his jaw, his hot breath tickling Brendon's ear as he spoke. "Maybe this is too forward," Brendon laughed breathlessly at that statement given the current position they were in, "but I've always had this fantasy..."

Brendon looked at him narrowly, worried it would be something too weird for even him to feel comfortable with, and waited for him to continue.

Dallon traced his index finger up the inseam of Brendon's pants, following it lightly over where it covered his erection and causing him to buck his hips forward, looking for more contact. "You don't have to say yes, we can fuck regardless," Brendon screwed his eyes shut and tipped his head back against the wall, wanting Dallon to just get on with whatever he was going to say. Teeth pulled at his earlobe and a deep moan escaped his lips. "I've always wanted to have a threesome. Any chance you know someone you'd want to include?"

Brendon slowly opened his eyes, seeing Dallon's blown pupils right in front of him. Dallon bit his lip and waited for Brendon's reaction.

**Choose your path:**

**To say no, go to chapter 37.**

**To invite Ryan to join, go to chapter 23.**


	15. Chapter 15

Brendon nodded his head a little eagerly before clearing his throat and scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, sure."

Ryan nodded once to himself before leading the way up the driveway. The front door was heavy and metal, with a large knocker in the middle and no doorbell. Brendon found himself focusing on weird details like the slight patch of paint that was chipping at the bottom of the door frame, rather than where he was going, and who he was with, and most importantly what they were about to do together.

Ryan hadn't been like, _hey let's go inside and have sex_ , but Brendon was pretty sure that's what was going to happen. What was the alternative? They play Mario Kart like a couple of children?

Brendon's mind was whirling through these thoughts so quickly that he didn't realize how long they'd been standing in silence in the entryway. Probably longer than was normal. Ryan toed off his shoes and flung his jacket over the banister of stairs that seemed to lead to a basement, as Brendon moved to do the same.

"So, this is the living room." Ryan indicated said room with a flourish of his arm and all the enthusiasm of a tour guide who hates their job. "Through there is the kitchen."

Brendon hummed and nodded like he was a prospective buyer being shown around by a real estate agent. "Very nice. Do these windows stay insulated in the winter?" He arched an eyebrow and Ryan swatted at his arm, laughing.

"Shut up. I don't know how to do this." Ryan's laugh died off slowly and he blushed. Brendon wasn't sure what Ryan didn't know how to do exactly.

"Well for starters, you could kiss me." The confidence in his tone surprised his own ears, since his heart was beating wildly in his chest and he kept forgetting to breathe.

Ryan made an appreciative noise and stepped closer, bringing a hand up to cup Brendon's face. Their lips lingered just slightly apart, until what felt like an eternity later, Ryan's grip tightened and he pulled them together.

Brendon felt all the breath leave him as he melted against Ryan, wrapping his arms around his lower back and holding their bodies flush against each other. "Great start," Brendon commented when Ryan pulled back to judge his reaction. Ryan smiled at him, lowering his head to reconnect their mouths.

This time the kiss got deeper, Ryan's lips parting. Brendon immediately mirrored the movement, darting his tongue out to lightly trace Ryan's bottom lip. Ryan's tongue met him in the middle, and Brendon tilted his head to get a better angle, pushing up the fabric of Ryan's shirt to run his hands over the soft skin underneath.

Brendon could feel the blood rushing to his lower half. When he moaned, he hadn't known it was coming, and was momentarily embarrassed by how loud it had been. That moment passed when Ryan seemed spurred on by it, deepening the kiss and aligning their hips so Brendon could feel he was getting just as hard.

"Fuck," Brendon panted into his mouth.

"Is that a compliment or a suggestion?" Ryan asked rhetorically before he pulled Brendon's lip between his teeth and then sucked on it.

"Yes," Brendon answered unnecessarily to both options. He could feel Ryan's whole body shake with the amused laughter as he mouthed down Ryan's neck, enjoying the slightly salty taste of his skin. "You didn't finish the tour," Brendon noted darkly as he kissed the hollow of Ryan's throat.

"I thought you didn't care," he choked out, tilting his head back to encourage Brendon's attack on his collarbones.

"I think there's at least one more room you should show me." He pulled back to look into Ryan's eyes, still staying pressed against him.

"The laundry room's not that exciting," Ryan deadpanned. Brendon narrowed his eyes at him until he broke a smile and lead the way to his bedroom. Brendon barely got a glimpse of walls covered in movie posters and endless piles of books filling the corners, none of them on shelves, before Ryan had turned him around and kissed him again, walking him backwards in the direction of the bed.

Brendon fell back onto the large bed, and barely had a second to wonder why Ryan needed a queen sized one, before Ryan was crawling on top of him, twining their legs together and biting at his neck.

Brendon hadn't gotten a hickey since high school, but he figured Ryan would be a great person to give him one. He alternated between biting and licking at the side of his neck, pausing to blow air on it and sending a chorus of shivers running up Brendon's spine.

Suddenly the sensations were joined by a hand rubbing at his erection through his pants. "Ryan-" Brendon's voice came out as a whine, and he wasn't even sure what he was asking for. He just needed more.

Ryan seemed dedicated to taking things slowly, but that was not Brendon's style. He rolled them over so he was on top, pushing up the hem of Ryan's shirt to kiss at his stomach. He moved downward, stopping at his belt buckle and glancing up at him. "Can I?..."

Ryan laughed incredulously. "Yes. Fuck. Of course." Brendon hastily undid the belt, not bothering to remove it from the pants before he started on the button and zipper. Ryan lifted his shoulders off the bed so he could pull his shit off, resting on his elbows so he could watch as Brendon slid off the bed to his knees, taking Ryan's pants with him. He left them bunched around his ankles since it held Ryan's legs in position, and crawled back up to mouth at the fabric covering Ryan's erection. Ryan was already mostly hard, a small damp spot on the boxers indicating where the tip had been resting.

Ryan's head tipped back as a string of swear words slipped out, punctuated by Brendon's name. Brendon was pretty certain it was the most he'd ever liked hearing his name in his life.

He pulled Ryan's boxers down, just enough to allow his cock to spring free. He wrapped his fingers around the base, stroking it once before licking over the head in one smooth pass. Ryan's arms gave out as he fell back onto the mattress, covering his eyes with one hand and threading the other's fingers through Brendon's hair.

Brendon fit as much of it into his mouth as he could, sucking and bobbing up and down as Ryan turned his head to the side and grunted.

He pulled back to lick at the head again, and Ryan pulled sharply at his hair. "You're going to have to stop," Ryan warned.

Brendon reluctantly sat back, refusing to release his hand as he stroked Ryan a few more times. The hand that had been in his hair rushed to cover it, stopping his movements. "Seriously, it's been a while and my stamina is really failing me right now." Brendon laughed softly, not wanting to seem mean. "Please get naked and come here." Ryan's demand went straight to his crotch, and he ripped his shirt over his head and pulled his pants and underwear down all in one go. Ryan kicked his pants and boxers the rest of the way off, and when Brendon laid back down on top of him, their entire bodies pressed together and their erections trapped between them, he had to bury his face in Ryan's neck as his hips moved fractionally, trying to get a little scrap of friction.

Ryan grabbed his ass in the palms of both hands and pushed up against him, causing them both to groan in unison. "Fuck, there's uh," Ryan flailed an arm out, but couldn't reach the bedside table, "top drawer."

Brendon lifted himself up to get it, reaching a hand in blindly and managing to pull out multiple condoms and a tube of lube. He pushed the lube into Ryan's hand and flopped on to his back, letting his legs fall open. Ryan's eyes got darker as they roamed over his body, and he shifted to get in position between his legs.

Ryan mouthed down his abdomen, biting the skin here and there as he got lower. He kept making these little pleased noises like he was so happy just to be able to touch Brendon, and every one send a pulse of arousal straight to Brendon's cock. By the time Ryan gently took the head between his lips, pushing the tip of one finger against Brendon's entrance at the same time, Brendon was pretty sure he was going to pass out if the pace didn't pick up soon.

Brendon couldn't stop his hips from trying to jerk both forward into Ryan's mouth and downward onto his fingers at the same time. It didn't accomplish much. "More," he croaked, not caring what exactly he got more of. Preferably everything.

His whole body felt like it was on fire when Ryan complied, adding another finger to stretch him and taking him deeper into his mouth. When Ryan's fingers brushed over his prostate, just a fleeting ghost of a touch, he gasped and balled his hands in the sheets.

"I'm going to need you to fuck me. Right now." Brendon grabbed Ryan by the hair and pulled him up his body to reattach their lips, and he attempted to put the condom on Ryan without looking. He got it most of the way down before Ryan's hand joined his and they unrolled it the rest of the way.

He hooked his legs around Ryan's waist, trying to find the self-restraint to not dig his heels in and make Ryan go faster. Ryan gripped the base of his cock and lined it up, pushing forward torturously slowly. Brendon could feel each new centimetre as he pushed in, and he couldn't look away from Ryan's eyes as his mouth fell open and he panted for air.

"Fuck, jesus, fucking hell," Brendon panted, not aware of what he was saying. Ryan came to a stop when he'd gotten fully in, catching his breath before picking up a steady rhythm. He tried to kiss Brendon briefly as he thrust forward, Brendon's hips moving to meet him.

Brendon couldn't stop running his hands over Ryan's back, his arms, any piece of skin he could reach. He pulled Ryan tight to him and flipped them over so he was on top, moving his pelvis to get the perfect angle. His groans turned desperate as Ryan ran a hand down his chest, wrapping it around his and jerking him off quickly.

He knew neither of them were going to last long, so when he felt his orgasm building in his lower stomach, he didn't fight it. He tilted his head back, eyes slipping closed as his entire body tensed and he released over Ryan's hand. When he opened his eyes, Ryan was licking his fingers where Brendon's cum had gotten, and Brendon had to surge forward and kiss him.

He gingerly lifted himself off of Ryan, allowing him to slip out, still painfully hard. He removed the condom, throwing it somewhere on the floor before resuming the blowjob from earlier. Ryan groaned from deep in his chest as his hips attempted to thrust up into Brendon's mouth. The first time caught him off guard and he gagged a little before allowing it deeper.

Ryan finished, coming hard as Brendon's name fell from his lips repeatedly. Brendon pulled off, licking his lips and climbing up Ryan's body to flop on top of him, feeling his whole body rise and fall with the deep breaths Ryan was taking below him. Ryan made a wordless sound of contentment, his eyelids starting to close as he pushed his hair off of his face and wrapped an arm around Brendon's waist.

Brendon smiled, pressing his face into Ryan's chest as he also succumbed to sleep. 

  


**Please proceed to chapter 24.**

  



	16. Chapter 16

Nicole scrunched her mouth to the side, shuffling across the floor to grab an old game cube controller. "I'd bet good money I can kick your ass at Mario Kart."

Z narrowed her eyes. "Oh. Bring. It. On."

They got a little too into it, shoving each other and smack talking like they were personally offended by each loss. They had to sit on the floor in front of the couch since the controllers' cords couldn't reach that far, and after a few rounds it became clear that Z had some hidden talents.

"How are you possibly this good?" Nicole huffed as her car fell off the edge of the track and her screen went black. "Mother fucker!"

Z smirked sideways at her, only flicking her eyes briefly from the screen as she took a short cut to gain even more of a lead. "I think it's more that you're bad," she teased, bumping Nicole's shoulder with her own.

After multiple crushing defeats, Nicole let her controller slide to the floor as she crawled onto the couch. Using the smallest about of effort and gracefulness possible, she laid face down and let out a sad moan.

Z plopped down in the middle of her spine, causing all the air to be pushed out of Nicole's lungs. She flailed and twisted around, trying to get Z off of her but only succeeding in knocking her off balance so they ended up pressed together along the couch, laughing and gasping for air.

Suddenly there were keys in the door, and Brendon burst through in a hurry.

"Hey, Nicole. Hey, Nicole's friend. Want to come to the movies?" His eyes darted briefly in their direction before he dove to his knees and started crawling around the floor, looking under the furniture. "Spencer, Jon, and my friend Ryan are all coming." Nicole wished this could be considered weird behaviour for Brendon, but she figured it was a pretty standard way for Z to be introduced to him. 

"Z, this is Brendon. Brendon, meet Z," Nicole waved her hand to indicate the only two other people in the room.

Z giggled, seeming entertained by the strangeness. "Hi Brendon, great to finally meet you."

He popped his head up to look at them over the arm of the couch. "The pleasure's all mine." He seemed to be in a really good mood, and Nicole was curious why he was so excited about that movie. "So, movie? You've got about forty five minutes to get ready if you're coming." He disappeared back behind the couch, and Nicole turned to Z to see how she felt about the surprise offer. She didn't want her to feel pressured into it.

"Do you want to? You can borrow some of my clothes." Nicole gingerly pinched the fabric of Brendon's t shirt that Z was wearing. She didn't add that she thought Z looked perfect in that shirt alone.

Z laughed and her body shook against Nicole's. "Ooh, unexpected bi perks." Nicole was surprised by her casual sexuality jokes, and made a mental note to talk about it in more detail later. To keep the moment light she playfully shoved Z causing her to make a panicked squeaking noise as she almost fell off the couch. "I mean, I don't have anywhere to be." Nicole grinned and kissed her softly as Brendon walked past them to the bathroom. She'd had a fleeting worry in the back of her mind that this was a one night stand, so Z's willingness to spend more time with her was a relief.

She heard the sound of the shower running from the bathroom, and figured they didn't have long before Brendon was breathing down their necks and rushing them out the door. She heaved herself up off the couch, pulling Z up along with her, and the two went into her room to find clothes. That was the intention at least.

Once they actually got in there and shut the door, all Nicole's thoughts about undressing Z from the t shirt became a reality, and she got a little distracted.

She stepped up close to Z, lowering her face so her mouth was only millimetres from Z's neck, and whispered as she slowly ran the tip of her finger up the outside of Z's thigh. "What do you want to wear?"

Z's whole body shivered in response as she stood still, waiting to see what Nicole would do. "What do you want to see me in?" Z's voice dripped with seduction, and Nicole was struggling to remember why they couldn't just take their time.

"That's a dangerous question." Nicole stopped her hand's motion just as it reached the hem of the shirt. She walked to the dresser, noting the way Z leaned after her as if she wanted to continue what they'd been doing.

She picked out a leather skirt she never wore and threw it to her along with a top. They were mostly clothed by the time Brendon started banging loudly on the bedroom door. "If you don't get your ass downstairs before Spencer and Jon show up, we're leaving without you! Also, nice to meet you Z, you can do better than Nicole."

"Fuck you too," Nicole yelled through the door as his laughter was cut off by the sound of the apartment door closing behind him.

"You two are ridiculous," Z said with a smile on her face. "I know Ryan and I snipe at each other, but you're just a whole nother level."

Nicole laughed, pulling her blouse into place and tying her hair up into buns on each side of her head. She didn't know how to define her relationship with Brendon, but it was pretty self-explanatory if you'd seen them together. More like siblings than anything else.

They'd made it most of the way down the stairwell when they heard Spencer honking his horn as he pulled up to the curb. They started to run down the steps, still holding hands, though Nicole couldn't remember who had taken whose hand first.

They all crammed into the back of the car, and Nicole took the opportunity to sit mostly on Z's lap. It was a short drive to the theatre, but just as they were arriving, the radio station that had been playing through the speakers changed songs, and Z gasped and yelled at them to turn it up. Once it was louder, Nicole recognized the song as a favourite from her childhood, and she and Z started loudly belting the song at each other. Once Spencer had parked the car, the others humoured them by sitting with it idling until the song had finished.

Nicole and Z went off into the theatre in search of popcorn at Z's request. Nicole knew it was Spencer's turn to buy the tickets, so they went straight for the concessions, each getting a large popcorn and drink cup. The theatre had those self-serve drink dispensers with all the flavour options, and Z refused to pick one before studying all the options. They'd been standing there with empty cups for a few minutes when Jon and Spencer came over.

"Why don't you mix all the flavours you want together?" Jon asked. Z turned to him with wide eyes.

"My god, you're a genius!" She started pouring various fruit flavours of coke into her own cup before taking Nicole's and making her a different concoction.

"Oh, hey!" an unfamiliar voice came from behind them. Z's gasped beside her and she ran and jumped on the guy standing with Brendon.

"What?" she exclaimed. "I never thought Ryan meant you Ryan. What the hell?" She turned to look at Nicole, pointing at Ryan and mouthing his name unnecessarily. She'd gathered this was the Ryan Z mentioned as one of her best friends. Nicole couldn't help but smile at how happy Z looked.

"Well after you all ditched me last night, I made some new friends." Brendon looked shocked as the two caught up.

"I didn't ditch you! The others disappeared and I thought you went with them. Then I met Nicole, and kind of forgot to keep looking." Her eyes found Nicole's as she gestured for her to come be introduced. She felt her stomach lurch at having to make a good impression with Z's best friend. Ryan stuck out a hand for Nicole to shake, but she stepped forward and hugged him instead.

"Huh, that's weird," Jon commented. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"I guess I forgive you then," Ryan joked. Z threaded her fingers with Nicole's, managing to carry both bags of popcorn and a drink with her other arm so she wouldn't have to let go. Nicole laughed and followed her into the theatre.

Nicole sat between Spencer and Z. Even though they each had a bag of popcorn, Z kept leaning over to put a piece from her bag in Nicole's mouth. Nicole giggled and allowed it, throwing occasional pieces of hers to hit Z in the head. She could see Spencer smirking at them from the corner of her eye, but tried to ignore him. 

The movie was beyond boring. She wasn't sure which of the guys had picked it, but she was getting frustrated at how lame it was. They could have stayed home and spent their time doing much better things than watching that stupid movie. 

Z seemed to be thinking the same thing as she leaned over the armrest, which was also causing the lack of cuddling, to whisper, "I think I'm going to the bathroom." Nicole nodded, not paying much attention until she realized Z wasn't leaving. "Don't you think you have to go to the bathroom too?" Z looked at her meaningfully and Nicole finally clued into what was happening. 

**Choose your path:**

**To follow Z to the bathroom, go to chapter 25.**

**To offer to stay and make out in the theatre, go to chapter 26.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hidden chapter~*~**

**In the movie theatre, Ryan's POV, but something _different_ happens**

**Umm I don't know what this is, but you found it, so enjoy?**

Ryan settled into the seat next to Brendon. Z had ended up on the far end of the group, and he was kind of wishing she could have been next to him. He was still shocked that she'd not only met someone, but that someone was a girl. He'd always had a gut instinct that Z wasn't fully straight, but over the years of knowing her only dating men, he kind of thought she'd repressed that part of her. He wondered if that was why she'd grown attached to Brendon's friend so quickly. Ryan realized he'd already forgotten her name.

On the other hand, he'd gotten in deep with Brendon just as quickly. They'd known each other for less than a day, and as the movie started, he found himself wondering if he should hold Brendon's hand, or attempt to make out with him. He knew next to nothing about the guy; would he even be comfortable with public displays of affection?

Ryan's mind was reeling down all these different pathways, but beneath that, he couldn't help but notice how awful the movie was. It had barely started and he was already bored with the over acting and pointless plot. If it hadn't been so loud with explosions, he probably could have fallen asleep.

He looked over at Brendon, intending to judge if he was enjoying the movie or not. Instead he got distracted, leaning forward in his seat to see that all of the others were gone. He turned toward Brendon whispering, "Where'd they all go?" 

Brendon shrugged without taking his eyes off the screen. Ryan scrunched his face up in confusion, glancing around to see that the rest of the seats in the theatre were also empty. He could have sworn they saw at least a few other people when they'd sat down. Ryan leaned in again, still whispering although it wasn't really needed, "There's no one else in here." He felt a little creeped out for some reason. 

Brendon smiled at him, placing his hand over Ryan's wrist and squeezing reassuringly. Ryan's stomach felt like it leapt to his throat as Brendon replied at full volume, "They didn't really want to watch the movie, and I don't blame them." Something mischievous sparkled in Brendon's eye as he tilted his head, encouraging Ryan to look back at the screen.

The scene had completely changed from the action movie to a still shot of a door. A hand came from behind the camera and knocked on it. A voice from inside yelled, "Just a second," and Ryan frowned, feeling like the voice was weirdly familiar. It definitely didn't belong to any of the actors that had been in the movie, but something about the voice sent shivers up his spine.

The door opened on screen and Ryan's brain failed to absorb what he was seeing. He was the one in the movie, as the camera panned back and showed Brendon standing at the door holding a box of pizza and wearing a uniform. "Uhhh-" Ryan couldn't form any coherent thoughts as he looked to the Brendon next to him, wondering what the fuck was happening.

Brendon shushed him. "Just watch, this part's really good." He still had his hand on Ryan's wrist, but Ryan had lost all feeling to his extremities, and he couldn't feel it.

The Brendon on screen said, "Hello sir, I have your pizza delivery." His acting was cheesier than the actual movie they'd been watching before, and the camera didn't try to hide that the pants of his uniform were unnaturally tight, making his ass the most prominent thing on the screen. Ryan blushed when he caught himself staring at it.

"I ordered that over an hour ago," Ryan watched himself respond. His onscreen self was wearing sweatpants that hung off his hips low enough to show the cut of his hipbones and the top of his boxers. He seemed genuinely annoyed that the delivery was late in a way real-life Ryan never would be. He would have just thanked the guy and paid, sending him on his way.

"I'm very sorry for the inconvenience. There were a lot of orders, and traffic is really bad right now." On screen Brendon pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, his eyes wide in a way that didn't make his apology seem sincere. "I swear, the pizza's still really hot." He licked his lips in a filthy way that sent blood pulsing straight to Ryan's dick. 

He glanced at the real Brendon next to him and almost choked when he saw he had a bulge in his pants. He glued his eyes back to the screen, trying to pretend he hadn't just seen that. 

Ryan's voice rumbled through the speakers, sounding deeper and more gravelly than he'd ever heard it. "I don't give a fuck if the pizza's hot. Do you think it's funny to make me have to wait?" Ryan's eyes widened as he watched. Seeing himself be so dominant and controlling was doing something strange to him, and he wiggled in his seat as he watched.

The delivery boy stepped closer to him, the length of the pizza box the only space between them. "I'm so sorry, sir," Brendon's voice was soft and pleading as he batted his eyelashes at the angry Ryan. "I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to you." Ryan seemed to consider his offer before moving aside and allowing him to enter the house. Brendon quickly stepped inside, and the camera followed as he placed the pizza on the kitchen counter and turned around. Ryan had slammed the door shut, and was standing right there behind him. 

Brendon gasped when he saw how close Ryan was standing. He backed up against the cupboards as Ryan closed the remaining space between them, the fronts of their bodies pressed together. 

Ryan chanced another glance at Brendon sitting next to him, trying to look only at his face and not his crotch. He saw the on screen version of Brendon's expression mirrored in the real one as he bit his lip and stared lustfully at the screen. Ryan's gaze was once again drawn downward, but this time by a movement, as he saw Brendon rubbing himself through his pants. Ryan could hear a choked gasp escape his own mouth, drawing Brendon's attention to him. 

As real Brendon took his hand, placing it where his own had been on his pants, Ryan heard himself say in the movie, "You're going to get on your knees and beg me for forgiveness." Ryan's attention was torn between rubbing Brendon as he grew harder beneath his hand, and watching himself on the screen as movie Brendon sunk to his knees. 

On the screen, Ryan undid his sweat pants slowly, allowing them to fall down his hips once the tie was loose. His boxers did nothing to hide how hard he was, as Brendon hooked his thumbs under the waist band and pulled them down, staring up into Ryan's eyes from the floor as he did it. 

Ryan felt like his whole body was on fire as he watched his own penis get revealed on screen. He didn't know if he was more aroused or embarrassed, but other thoughts pushed those ones out as Brendon unzipped his pants and started giving him a hand-job at the same time that his on-screen self was now wrapping his lips around Ryan's cock and sucking like his life depended on it. 

Ryan reached both hands over the cup holder that was between their seats, hastily undoing Brendon's pants and pulling his dick out so they were both jacking off each other. Brendon pulled one of Ryan's hands up from where it was wrapped around his cock and licked a broad strip across the palm before placing it back around him. Ryan felt his own cock twitch in Brendon's fist as he watched that, his attention getting sucked back to the screen as the Brendon on his knees moaned loudly.

The Ryan on the screen grabbed a fist full of Brendon's hair, holding his head in place as he started to fuck his throat. Movie-Brendon somehow made it seem like it was easy and barely choked at all. He moaned around his dick, staring up at him from the floor with watery eyes as he allowed Ryan to do whatever he wanted with his mouth.

Ryan watched his on-screen self get closer to climax as his own built in tandem. Brendon twisted his wrist around Ryan's cock as he pumped it, swiping his thumb over the sensitive head. Ryan tried his best to keep a few of his brain cells devoted to moving his hand in Brendon's lap, but the dual stimulation of Brendon's fingers and the visual that was happening on screen had him coming just as the Ryan in the movie pulled out of Brendon's mouth and finished on his face.

"Keep the change," on-screen Ryan said as he pulled his pants back up.

Ryan jerked out of his seat as a hand gripped his shoulder, shaking lightly. Brendon was standing over him, and he quickly looked around seeing the lights had come on and the credits were rolling on the screen. Brendon's friends were back in their seats, looking at him with amusement.

"I know the movie was boring, but how'd you manage to sleep through all that noise?" Brendon asked, a smile quirking up one side of his lips. 

Ryan shook his head, trying to clear the daze as the dream he'd had quickly slipped away. Had that really been a dream? "I have no idea." He stared up at Brendon, his cheeks reddening as he attempted to erase every part of that dream from his mind.

**End of hidden chapter.**

**Props if you got here from the hint and didn't cheat. Leave a comment saying you found this chapter! If you found your way here from chapter 10, go back and continue from there.**

**Otherwise you can return to chapter 1 and try for a different ending.**


	18. Chapter 18

Brendon glanced down before steeling himself to ask the question. "I've uh, had a lot of fun with you."

Ryan smiled at him, lighting up his whole face. "You managed to single-handedly save my birthday. Thanks, I've had fun too."

"What would you say if I asked for your number?" He felt a slight blush rise in his cheeks, and he couldn't believe he was acting this way. He hadn't been so nervous to ask someone out for as long as he could remember. Maybe it was the very real possibility that Ryan could reject him. He was used to people being clear with their intentions, but Ryan was a mystery, and Brendon still wasn't even sure if he was straight or not. He was seriously hoping for not.

Ryan considered before answering. "I'd definitely say yes, but you have to give me a chance to repay you for all the drinks."

Brendon laughed, pleased by the answer. "No way, those were birthday gifts. You'll have to wait until my birthday to pay it back." He pulled out his phone and opened it to the phone book, starting a new contact before handing it to Ryan.

Ryan's smile was illuminated by the glow of the screen as he quietly said, "Okay, I guess I will." He handed it back, and Brendon quickly sent him a text with his name and some smiley faces so he could add him back.

Ryan pulled his phone out and grinned stupidly at the screen before looking back at Brendon. "Don't be a stranger," he said just before leaving the club. Brendon stood still and watched him go until he disappeared up the stairs.

When he got back to the table his friends were at, Spencer looked half asleep, stretched out across the table as Jon stroked his back. "What happened to him?" Brendon asked.

Jon smirked. "I don't think you want to know."

Brendon furrowed his brow in confusion, but Dan cut in with a slurred voice, "We were taking shots every time you or Nicole looked like you were fucking up your prospective hook ups. We uh," he paused to hiccup, "had to be cut off around the time you got him to dance with you."

"Hey!" Brendon said, a little insulted. "Nothing was fucked up! I'm the king of smooth, and I even got his number."

Mike laughed and put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "No no, you're totally right. No part of that mating ritual was awkward at allll." Brendon punched his arm harder than he'd intended. 

"Fuck you guys."

Spencer didn't bother to lift his head from the table as he mumbled a, "You wish," and everyone laughed.

Brendon ended up sleeping at Spencer and Jon's, since it seemed like Nicole had left earlier with a girl the others had all met. Brendon wasn't jealous at all. Nope, he was purely happy for his friend.

As he fell asleep that night on their couch, all he could think about was the look on Ryan's face when he said he'd pay him back on his birthday. He hadn't told Ryan that was roughly nine months away.

‐---------

The next morning they all sat around the living room eating cereal and debating the pros and cons of texting Ryan. Spencer was of the mind that he should play it cool and wait a few days. "I dunno, he looked a little squirrelly. Maybe don't freak him out with a text less than twelve hours later."

Jon rolled his eyes affectionately. "You don't just give a dude your number at a club and hope he plays it cool." Brendon could see both of their points. This probably wasn't a life or death decision, but he found he really wanted to see Ryan again.

"I just need a good enough excuse, so it will make sense that I messaged him. We have to find an activity so fun, it'll be impossible for him to turn it down."

"Well, what do you know about him?" Spencer challenged.

**Choose your path:**

**To invite** **Ryan** **to a poetry reading, go to chapter 9.**

**To invite** **Ryan** **to go to a movie, go to chapter 10.**


	19. Chapter 19

Z inched a little closer, and Nicole took the initiative to do what she'd been waiting to do since they'd first met. She pressed her lips gently against Z's, trying to allow her time to get used to the idea, but also a little worried that she'd freak out and change her mind. 

Nicole brought her hand up to stroke Z's hair, feeling it to be just as soft as it looked, if a little knotted from the dancing and the wind. Nicole tangled her fingers in the strands, smiling against her mouth as Z seemed to get impatient with the pace she was moving at. Z rolled them over so she was laying her full weight on top of Nicole, and opened her mouth just a fraction. Nicole instantly went along with it, darting her tongue out to trace along Z's lip, and suddenly she was tasting the shots Z had taken. 

When Nicole breathed out, it sounded deep and ragged, like it'd been torn from deep inside of her and forced up through her throat. Z grinned against her lips, pulling back slightly to suck Nicole's bottom lip into her mouth and graze it with her teeth as she pulled away. She leaned back down to rest her forehead on Nicole's, her eyes closed and her breathing still a little quick. "Yeah, I should have done that a long time ago."

Nicole's head was a little fuzzy with the excitement of the kiss, and she had to ask what Z was referring to. "Kiss a girl, or kiss me?" 

Z laughed lightly, and Nicole could feel every inch of her body vibrate with the movement. "Both, I suppose." 

"Well there's no time like the present." She felt a little lame for saying it, but she was also so desperate to resume the kissing, she would have said just about anything in that moment. Z didn't respond, merely tilting her head to reach Nicole's mouth again. She slowly started to venture out, exploring Nicole's cheeks and chin with her kisses. Nicole ran her hands down Z's back, feeling the curves of her waist and the individual notches of her spine. She hesitated just above the waistline of her pants, unsure of how far this thing was really going to go. Z seemed to be into it, but Nicole had had a fair share of girls want to experiment so long as it only involved causal making out. Their fragile mask of heterosexuality forbade them from actually doing what they wanted, and she'd come to accept that. 

Z attacked her neck without warning, biting just hard enough to hurt, but not to break the skin. Her body arched upward toward Z without her consent, and Z hooked an arm underneath the small of her back, pulling her closer while shifting her legs so one was between Nicole's. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized what was happening, just milliseconds before Z actually did it. Z shifted her hips, dragging the front of her thigh between Nicole's open legs. It pushed her skirt up and rubbed against her in the perfect way, and she gasped between a, "Fuck," and a, "Z." 

She raked her nails down Z's back, savouring the way she moaned into her ear, and then started to softly pull on her earlobe with her teeth. Nicole finally found the courage to reach her hands down to Z's ass, gripping it with both hands and shifting the leg she had between Z's to give her what small amount of friction she could through the faux leather pants she was wearing.

"Fuck is right," Z said, a quiet exhale of breath taking the shape of a laugh. She slid down Nicole's body, alternating between licking, kissing, and straight up biting her neck and then collar bones. When she reached the point where Nicole's top reached, exposing just the slightest bit of cleavage, Z hesitated, and Nicole felt like she was going to pass out from desire if Z said she was wanting to stop. Nicole felt so wound up in her own skin; she needed to get off, even if it required leaving Z alone in the living room to go finish herself off in the bedroom. 

It turned out Z was hesitating for Nicole's benefit, not her own. "Can I-" Z scrunched her face up, and Nicole didn't know what she was trying to ask for, but she knew she was willing to give it. 

"Yes. Anything." Nicole added in a little nod to make her point clear. Her point was _take anything I have. Take all of it._

Z's smile turned feral as she used the arm still wrapped around Nicole to pull her into a seated position, slowly moving her hands to trace over the front of Nicole's shirt with the slightest touch. Nicole couldn't feel her fingers through the layers of shirt and bra, but she'd decided to let Z move at whatever pace she wanted. After a few seconds, she lifted the hem of Nicole's shirt, slipping her hands underneath to smooth over her stomach. Nicole felt the muscles of her stomach tremble as Z seated herself with her legs on either side of Nicole's body, effectively sitting in Nicole's lap. 

Her fingers were warm as they traced patterns over Nicole's skin, slowly inching their way higher. Nicole couldn't look anywhere apart from Z's face, hypnotized by the way she was staring, transfixed at the skin being revealed as she raised her hands. The temptation to rip her own shirt off and just skip the anticipation was maddening.

She somehow managed to distract her hands by fiddling with the seam on Z's pants. She traced the thread, feeling its bumps and grounding herself in the moment. It helped her get her head back on as Z took her sweet time, finally lifting her shirt high enough that she could pull it off, making her feel oddly bare in just her bra. It wasn't the level of undress that uneased her, it was the way Z looked at her, like it was new and novel territory. When Z raised her face to look at Nicole's, her eyes were wide and her pupils were huge. She parted her lips slightly, perhaps to ask for permission again, but something in Nicole's expression must have made her carry on, merely wetting her lips with a quick pass of her tongue.

Nicole couldn't help herself as she took a moment to lean in and kiss her again. It had been far too long since that last happened, and as she traced the shape of Z's tongue with her own, Z's hand appeared on her chest, feeling her over top of her bra, and Nicole deemed this one of the best moments of her life. Brendon's stupid bet had turned out to be his single best idea to date.

She gasped against Z's mouth, the sound eventually turning into a moan as the tips of Z's fingers dipped underneath the cup of her bra, getting steadily closer to her nipple. This level of foreplay was not something she'd experienced in a while, and it made a weird nervous excitement curl up in her guts. She didn't know what to do past just letting Z have her way.

As Z finally reached her hand all the way into Nicole's bra, lightly pinching her nipple between her fingers and rubbing it, Nicole had reached a breaking point. She undid the button of Z's pants, waiting a few seconds for the reaction before undoing the zipper as well. Z groaned from the back of her throat, unlatching Nicole's bra and pulling it off of her before taking her own shirt off.

When her mouth reattached to Nicole's, the kiss was deeper and more desperate. Z wasn't wearing a bra beneath her shirt, and Nicole wasted no time fitting her hand over one of the breasts and rubbing it firmly. Z pulled her hair in response, tilting Nicole's head backwards so she could attack her neck again. Her words came out muffled against Nicole's skin. "You're driving me fucking crazy."

Nicole chuckled, fully understanding the feeling. "I think the bed would be a better place," she said, slightly worried that moving would break whatever spell they were under that was allowing her to hook up with this ridiculously attractive person. She really wasn't feeling like fucking on the floor of the living room though.

Z pulled back to lock eyes with her, they were shining in the dim light from the window, and her lips looked dark and swollen. Nicole's breath momentarily caught in her throat as she took in every flawless detail of the woman that was wrapped around her.

"I think you're right." Z's voice was gravelly and sent a shiver up Nicole's spine. Any doubt she had about Z not wanting to continue was dispelled as she all but pulled Nicole into the bedroom.

Nicole's bed took up most of the small room, but she spent hardly any time in there that didn't involve the bed. Z turned around to face her before falling backwards onto the sheets and pulling Nicole down on top of her.

Nicole rested an elbow on either side of Z's face, slowly kissing her without any other movement or touching. Their bare chests pressed together, and Z's hands came up to cup her face. Everything felt calm and still for a few moments before Z's nails raked down her back and Nicole started to bite at Z's lips.

Things sped up quickly after that with grinding and rubbing and hair pulling. Nicole dragged Z's pants off as Z tried to get Nicole's skirt undone, getting annoyed and settling for reaching her hand up under it to rub at her clit through her underwear when she couldn't do it quickly enough for her liking.

Nicole's limbs just about gave out as she gasped and bucked her hips in the direction of the friction. A string of curses fell out of her mouth, mostly nonsensical. She could feel the moisture on her underwear as Z touched her and watched her face to see if she was doing the right thing.

"Mother of god, Z," she gasped, gripping the other girl's shoulders as some kind of anchor to keep from falling into the blackness.

Z smirked. "What can I say? I'm a natural." Nicole laughed and attempted to wiggle herself out of the skirt, although Z's constant movement of her fingers underneath it weren't helping the cause.

They shed the remaining layers of clothing and Z positioned herself on the pillows as Nicole went in for another kiss. The amount of bare skin they now had pressed together made her head spin and she couldn't stop running her hands over every inch of Z that was within reach.

She moved down to bite at her neck, trying to restrain herself from leaving an obnoxious mark. Z mumbled something above her, and it sounded like more than mindless encouragement so she pulled back, looking at her closed eyes and parted lips. "What?" Nicole asked, slightly worried.

She opened her eyes and locked her huge pupils on Nicole. "I said don't hold back. I'm not going to break." Nicole breathed out a laugh and resumed what she'd been doing, this time biting harder and sucking the skin of her neck hard enough to know there'd be some broken blood vessels. Z moaned and squirmed beneath her, sounding more than pleased.

She kissed her way down Z's body, spending plenty of time on each nipple. Z was pulling her hair and complaining about being a tease by the time she had an open mouth pressed against her inner thigh. "Please, Nicole, fuck!" She let her legs fall further open and pushed her whole body downwards, trying to get Nicole where she wanted her.

Nicole bit back an evil smirk as she inched slowly closer, still taking her sweet time. When it seemed like Z was ready to scream at her if she didn't _just do it already,_ she slipped a finger inside of her and licked a broad stroke across her clit at the same time. Z's whole body tensed and twitched as her fingers yanked at the roots of Nicole's hair. "Yes, oh my god."

Nicole hummed and the vibrations of it made Z squirm, demanding more. Nicole pulled back before adding a second finger, pushing in and twisting as she sucked with her mouth. She felt Z's orgasm building before Z mumbled an, "Oh," and she felt her tense around her fingers.

Nicole didn't stop for a second, keeping up the motions of her fingers and her tongue, reaching the other hand up to run her thumb over Z's nipple as she whined and a second orgasm hit her harder than the first. She released her death grip on Nicole's hair to tap her head, signalling she couldn't take anymore.

"Holy fuck," she panted as Nicole slowly licked her fingers and smiled at her. Z cover her face with the crook of her elbow as her chest heaved with the effort of taking in enough oxygen. Z peeked out from behind her arm to view her other hand, the fingers visibly shaking.

Z looked at Nicole with wide eyes, unsure if she should or even could return the favour.

"It's okay. Next time." She pecked Z on the lips and reached into the drawer of the bedside table, pulling out one of her smaller but more powerful vibrators. "I've got it."

Z's eyes widened as she watched Nicole start to get herself off. Z rolled onto her side to run her hand down Nicole's chest, bringing it to rest atop Nicole's hand where it was controlling the toy. Nicole's eyes fell shut, but the last thing she saw before they did was Z studying the motions of her wrist and licking her lips.

Z's mouth appeared on her own, pushing it open and slipping her tongue inside. Nicole knew she probably still tasted like Z, and the thought made her groan in the back of her throat, stilling as the orgasm hit her. She quickly fumbled the toy for the off switch, her fingers tingling residually from either the vibrations or the orgasm, she couldn't tell.

She tossed it on the ground and pulled the blankets up over them, tangling their legs together as Z burrowed her face into Nicole's neck.

A breathy, "Wow," was all Z said before they both fell asleep.

\----------

The next morning, Nicole woke up to a persistent headache. The sun coming through the open curtains was not helping, and she tried to make her way towards them with her eyes closed, flailing blindly until her hand struck the wall and she was able to yank them shut.

She collapsed back into bed, pulling the sheets around her and burying her head under a pillow. There was a familiar smell of perfume that wasn't hers, and as she listened to Brendon moving around in the kitchen and humming to himself, it took her a few moments to even recall what had happened. She hadn't had that much to drink, it was more the disorientation of waking up.

It wasn't Brendon in the kitchen. It was Z.

Nicole threw her legs out of bed and sat there for a bit, gripping the edge of the mattress while her head pounded. She took a few deep breaths through her nose and waited for the world to return to normal. Well, at least as normal as it could be with Z doing whatever she was in the kitchen.

Nicole tiptoed to the dresser, feeling weird after sleeping naked, since it was not usually her go to, and threw on some leggings and a t shirt. She even took the time to put on deodorant and wipe the eyeliner away from where it had smeared below her eyes. She deemed it good enough, and opened the door to follow the smell of baking towards the kitchen.

Z was hovering near the stove as the smell of french toast drew Nicole near like a siren's call. Nicole shuffled her bare feet across the carpet and wrapped her arms around Z's waist, pressing her mouth into her shoulder since she was too short to comfortably get her chin over it. "Whatcha makin'?" Nicole singsonged, her voice muffled by the soft worn cotton of the t shirt she was wearing as a dress.

Nicole recognized the shirt as one of Brendon's she'd stolen ages ago. It had been in her dresser with the rest of her clothes, and Z must have gone looking for something to wear. She found she really didn't mind.

"I told you if I wanted something I'd just help myself." Her voice sounded like she was smiling, though Nicole couldn't see her face. She flipped a piece of toast in the pan on the cook-top with an expert flick of her wrist. "You were sleeping so soundly, I couldn't bring myself to wake you up."

Nicole laughed softly. "I don't remember the last time someone made me breakfast."

Z left the toast to finish cooking and turned around to hop up onto the counter, pulling Nicole with her to stand between her legs. Nicole brought her hands up to rest on Z's thighs and leaned forward, their lips barely touching in a gentle good morning kiss. "Get used to it. I'm an early riser." She smiled wickedly, causing Nicole to blush. She sure hoped there would be more mornings like this one.

Nicole helped by grabbing plates and cutlery, and they ate back on that spot on the floor with the record player on again, even though the table might have been more convenient.

When they finished eating and Nicole had cleared the plates, Z seemed unsure of if she should leave.

**Choose your path:**

**To ask if she wants to play Mario Kart, go to Chapter 16.**

**To let her leave but invite her on a date later that night, go to chapter 22.**


	20. Chapter 20

Nicole reached her hand up and touched a lock of Z's hair, feeling how it was tangled from all the dancing and chaos of the evening. Their eyes focused on each other's, and Nicole felt like she wasn't breathing as the corners of her mouth quirked up into a smile. Z's eyes fluttered shut, and Nicole studied each individual eyelash on her face.

Z's breathing evened out, and Nicole realized she'd fallen asleep right there on the floor. She exhaled a half laugh through her nose, feeling her heart rate return to normal. She got up from her spot on the floor, smoothing her skirt back down, and went into Brendon's bedroom to steal the blanket off his bed. She dragged it out and placed it gently over Z before going to her own room and curling up in bed with all of her makeup still on.

\----------

The next morning, Nicole woke up to a persistent headache. The sun coming through the open curtains was not helping, and she tried to make her way towards them with her eyes closed, flailing blindly until her hand struck the wall and she was able to yank them shut.

She collapsed back into bed, pulling the sheets around her and burying her head under a pillow. She was still in her clothes from the previous night, and as she listened to Brendon moving around in the kitchen and humming to himself, it took her a few moments to even recall what had happened. She hadn't had that much to drink, it was more the disorientation of waking up.

It wasn't Brendon in the kitchen. It was Z.

Nicole threw her legs out of bed and sat there for a bit, gripping the edge of the mattress while her head pounded. She took a few deep breaths through her nose and waited for the world to return to normal. Well, at least as normal as it could be with Z doing whatever she was in the kitchen.

Nicole peeled off her clothes and threw on some leggings and a t shirt. She even took the time to put on deodorant and wipe the eyeliner away from where it had smeared below her eyes. She deemed it good enough, and opened the door, sticking her head out before the rest of her body to see if Z was trying to rob her or something.

That didn't seem to be the case, since Z was hovering near the stove as the smell of french toast wafted towards her. Nicole shuffled her bare feet across the carpet and leaned against the wall where the living room turned into the kitchen, only really signifying this change through the colour of the wallpaper. "Whatcha makin'?" Nicole singsonged.

Z glanced briefly over her shoulder to smile at her. She'd stolen one of Brendon's larger shirts to wear as a dress, probably found on the floor of the bathroom where his clothes tended to live, and something about this whole scene made Nicole's stomach tie up in knots.

"I told you if I wanted something I'd just help myself, but I figured while I was at it I could make enough for two." She flipped a piece of toast in the pan on the cook-top with an expert flick of her wrist.

Nicole laughed softly. "I don't remember the last time someone made me breakfast."

Z left the toast to finish cooking and turned around to hop up onto the counter, her legs dangling just off the floor. "You need to bring more random girls home then." She smiled wickedly, causing Nicole to snort. She covered her face and looked away in embarrassment.

"Uh, yeah. Brendon would probably agree with you on that point." She willed the blush to fade from her face as Z stared at her with a soft smile. She'd somehow removed the majority of her makeup, and seeing her without the red lipstick was different. She looked softer, less intimidating.

Nicole helped by grabbing plates and cutlery, and they ate back on that spot on the floor with the record player on again, even though the table might have been more convenient. Nicole cleared the plates as Z went to get changed back into her clothes from the previous night.

She emerged from the bathroom with her lipstick reapplied and her clothes in perfect order. No one would have been able to tell she's slept on the floor in them.

"Well, I have to get going. Thanks for letting me crash here."

Nicole smiled and walked her the few steps to the door. "No problem. I'm uh, really glad I met you."

"Me too." Z hesitate a beat before opening the door and stepping into the hallway.

"Wait," Nicole called after her.

**Choose your path:**

**To ask for her phone number, go to chapter 34.**

**To ask her on a date, go to chapter 22.**


	21. Chapter 21

Hidden chapter ~*~

_**The night Brendon makes everyone go to the club, Dallon's POV.** _

Dallon stood on the outskirts of the dance floor, swaying his hips in a way he was pretty sure he'd be mortified by if he was sober.

He'd ended up here after an acquaintance offered him free admittance, and it had been a while since he'd done anything fun. The short notice didn't make it easy to find someone to go with, so he'd resigned himself to going alone and trying to make the best of it.

The club was not his usual scene, in that it had straight people in it. Seeing girls with low cut tops rubbing all over guys made his stomach churn, but he was confident in his ability to find the only other gay guy in a room of heteros. It was his super power.

As he was scanning his gaze over a table of guys that seemed maybe a little queer, a short blonde girl marched right up to him.

"Hey," she greeted, and he looked at her closely, trying to determine if this was someone he'd met before and should recognize. He was pretty sure she was a stranger. Either that, or he'd been very drunk last time they'd met.

"Hey, yourself." He grinned, trying to be friendly on the off chance she knew him. She didn't seem like she was a random girl trying to hit on him, and she didn't seem drunk enough to be mistaking him for someone else.

"Would you mind if we made out so I could win a bet?" His eyes must have widened comically, because those were the last words he would have expected to come out of her mouth.

He'd kissed girls before as jokes, but it didn't really do anything for him. She seemed a little desperate to win the bet though, so he figured he'd help her out. "Yeah. I mean, totally. Bets are important." He tried to make it clear this was purely because of a bet. He wasn't in the mood to have to let some girl down easy after he'd let her kiss him.

She smiled up at him as he leaned down to kiss her. She was so much shorter than him that it felt awkward, even as she raised onto her toes and gripped his shoulders. He figured it didn't count as a make out if they merely pressed lips, so he steeled himself and quickly poked his tongue between her lips. Thankfully she stepped back, ending the kiss before he had to endure any more. 

"Thanks, I appreciate it." She pat him on the arm, and he wondered briefly if she wasn't gay herself. The whole encounter had been uncomfortable, and about the least sexy thing he'd ever experienced.

"Anytime," he tried to smile naturally down at her as she backed away from him. The girl caught someone's eye across the club, and Dallon assumed it was the one she'd just won a bet against. The guy flipped her the middle finger, and Dallon's breath left his body. The guy was stunning, and exactly his type, curvy in all the right places with dark hair and eyes. The guy seemed to be there with someone else, so Dallon tried his best to forget about him.

His eyes kept drifting back to the guy as he leaned against the wall talking to the other man, and then as they started dancing together. Dallon eventually gave up hope that he'd meet anyone at the club and left alone. The night had been interesting, certainly, but hadn't ended the way he'd hoped. Something about that guy stuck in his head, and the whole walk home he had the vision of the way he'd moved his hips to the music, swaying seductively and trying to impress the guy he was with, and Dallon couldn't help but wish that guy had been him.

**End of hidden chapter.**

**Props if you found your way here from the hint. Leave a comment saying you found this chapter! If you haven't already finished chapter 33 where this one came from, go back and finish that.**

**Otherwise you can return to chapter 1 and try for a different ending.**


	22. Chapter 22

"Did you maybe want to," Nicole pursed her lips before biting them, "want to go on a proper date?"

Z pretended to think about it for a moment, tapping her chin and making humming noises. "Yes, I think I'd be okay with that." Nicole tried to control her grin and she wildly thought of restaurants that didn't have children's games on the place-mats. Her and Brendon's eating habits had really gone downhill lately. "Have you tried the Thai place down the road?" Z asked before she'd come up with a better idea.

"No, but I've been meaning to." She'd never heard of it. She wasn't too worried though, food was rarely bad enough to be inedible to her. "Tonight?"

Z nodded, bobbing her head up and down and then side to side in an unsure gesture. "Like seven-ish?"

"Deal." Nicole watched as Z left, feeling excitement bubbling under her skin at the prospect of a date with Z. She closed the door behind her and flopped down on the couch. Barely a few seconds later, Brendon burst into the room like a tornado.

"Hey, how was your night? Want to come to the movies?" He asked all in one breath, not pausing for an answer between questions as he fell to his knees and started looking under the furniture. Nicole figured it was better not to question his behaviour.

"To answer both of your questions, I can't, because I have a date to get ready for." Brendon paused his, whatever he was doing, to poke his head out and grin at her.

"Very nice!"

"Yours was good I take it?" She barely turned her head on the cushion to be able to see him, although it was mostly a view of his ass as he crawled on the floor. She winced and pinched the bridge of her nose, still feeling like an aspirin would hit the spot.

"Well I get to see him again, so finger's crossed I don't manage to fuck it up."

Nicole laughed, restraining herself from making a jibe at him since he seemed genuinely nervous, and she had a similar emotion about her own date later.

"If you manage to scare him away, he's not the right guy for you." She felt like a fortune cookie, but it seemed like the right thing to say in the moment.

Brendon huffed in exasperation and seemed to give up his search, sitting back on the floor. "I don't think that's how any of this works," Brendon said sardonically. "I'm going to shower. If you decide you want to change your mind and come with, I expect you outside in ten."

Nicole rolled over to shove her face between some pillows and must have started to drift off, because the next thing she knew, Brendon's hand was resting lightly on her back. "Hey, maybe don't suffocate yourself while I'm gone." She groaned and pushed herself up to face him.

"Good luck on your date."

"You too." He winked at her with some nerdy finger guns before leaving.

\----------

Nicole was standing outside of the restaurant feeling like a right fool. She'd gotten there a solid ten minutes early, and it hadn't even occurred to her until then that she had no way to contact Z, or to know if she was still coming. The air was cool on her exposed legs as she pulled the jacket she was wearing fruitlessly tighter around herself. She'd managed to find a pair of tights to go with the outfit, but the way the wind cut through the thin nylon made it feel nonexistent. 

A cab pulled up to the curb and Nicole tried not to stare hopefully while it came to a stop and the person inside paid the driver. She felt instant relief flood over her at the sight of Z emerging from the back seat. The other woman caught sight of her, a slow smile lighting up her face as she checked out the outfit Nicole was wearing. 

"Hey," Nicole greeted once Z was close enough to hear without her having to yell, "Interesting restaurant you picked." They turned to look at the storefront together. The term hole-in-the-wall would have been an overstatement. Nicole had passed it twice as she walked up and down the block. It was a single door next to a dry cleaner's, with a steep staircase visible through the glass door. 

Z winked at her and took her hand. "Where's your sense of adventure?" she teased. Nicole gripped her hand tightly as she allowed herself to be lead up the narrow staircase. The carpet running the stairs was threadbare, and as they got closer to the top, their senses were overwhelmed by the sounds of music and idle conversation, and the smells of delicious food. Z turned to her and arched an eyebrow. 

"Fine," Nicole conceded, raising her hands up, "You have good taste." Z smiled widely and flagged down an employee to get them a table. 

Nicole stared around the restaurant with wide eyes, surprised she was able to feel culture shock less than a few blocks from her own apartment. She had no idea what to order, even though the menu had pictures next to most of the dishes, which she appreciated.

"Do you want to pick a few entrees and split them?" Z asked. She gladly nodded, feeling relieved and also excited that she could try so many new things. Z ordered for them, either knowing the waitress personally, or just managing to be the most friendly person ever. Nicole wasn't sure which. She decided not to ask. 

The tables were all lit with candlesticks, and the atmosphere settled around them as warm and comfortable. 

"Tell me more about yourself," Nicole prompted. It felt like too open of a question, so she tried to be more specific. "What do you do for money, and what do you do because you like to?"

Her favourite topic to have conversations about was whatever the other person felt the most passionate. She could listen to a topic she knew nothing about for hours, if the other person cared a lot and made it interesting.

Z smiled, sipping her drink and studying Nicole's face. "I own a bar, which is really both of those things. The employees and regulars are essentially friends at this point, so going there doesn't feel like work." Nicole raised her eyebrows, surprised by this new fact about the other woman.

"When you say a bar... It's not the one we met at?"

Z laughed. "Oh god, no. That shit hole I got dragged to."

"Same."

"Bar isn't even a good descriptive term for it, but I'll show you sometime. It's cozy and familiar, even if it's your first time."

Nicole smiled, imaging Z being the owner of a place like that weirdly made perfect sense. She thought of all the times her and her friends had said they'd own music stores and cafes together when they grew up, and was a little jealous of Z for living the dream.

"What do you do because you want to?" Z's voice startled her out of her imagination.

"I work for a nonprofit, helping people who have lost loved ones. I guess it's both of those things as well."

Z nodded, her eyes sparkling. The waitress brought the food, but they both just continued to stare at each other over it. "That's the best you can hope for a job, to make enough money to live and to actually like doing it. Helping people on top of that must just make it even better."

Nicole blushed and looked down at the food. "Yeah, I guess I'm pretty lucky." Z reached to hold her hand across the table. Squeezing it and smiling softly at her.

They dug into the food, eating so much, yet hardly making a dent in the dishes between them. Some of the flavours were unlike anything Nicole had tried, and she savoured them in her mouth, feeling a little silly for being so moved by food.

They both agreed to split the bill, with little discussion. When they went back down the steps to the street, the night air had gotten colder, and Nicole had to pull her coat tightly around herself to avoid shivering.

"Fuck, what is this weather?" she mumbled as a gust of wind blew past them. Z looked up and down the street for a cab, but there weren't any in sight. "You could come back to my place. It's so close by."

Z looked at her like she was relieved that Nicole had offered. She wordlessly nodded and linked her arm through Nicole's, following her lead back to the apartment.

When they got in, Brendon was spread out on the couch, and he waved without looking at them.

"Z, this is Brendon. Vice versa." Nicole waved her hand between them as Z said hi.

Brendon sat up and paused the movie on the tv. "I'm watching Die Hard. You're welcome to join me, or I can get out of your way and leave you alone."

Z looked to Nicole for her to decide.

**Choose your path:**

**To watch the movie with Brendon, go to chapter 29.**

**To ask him to leave you alone, go to chapter 30.**


	23. Chapter 23

Brendon bit his lip. "Actually, I just might." Dallon's gaze got darker as he allowed Brendon a few inches of space to be able to pull his phone out of his pocket. He quickly found a text from Ryan and pressed the dial button. As soon as he heard the line ringing, Dallon's lips were back on his neck, and it took all of his self restraint to not moan into the phone. This was going to awkward enough as it was. 

Ryan picked up on the fourth ring, and Brendon had just about lost hope that he would. "Hey, Bren. Sorry, I was in the other room. What's up?"

Brendon had to take a breath before speaking, feeling like he was going to choke on it as Dallon palmed him through his pants. "Umm, fuck, I don't know how to..."

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" Ryan's concerned voice instantly replied. 

"I'm fine. I'm great. Uhh, look- Fuck, can I ask you something and have you promise it won't ruin our friendship, no matter what your answer is?" His mind was fuzzy, and he wasn't sure if he was making sense. He could tell his breathing sounded laboured and he was gasping softly. If Ryan was going to be freaked out or pissed off, it was probably too late to worry about their friendship. 

"Yeah, you can ask me anything." Ryan's voice sounded certain, and Brendon was torn between trying to soften the blow, and just getting it over with like a band-aid. His decision was made by Dallon's teeth scraping his earlobe.

"Would you come have a threesome with me?" he blurted out. Dallon stopped moving, also waiting to hear what Ryan would say. There was silence on the other end of the line, and Brendon had to check that the call hadn't dropped. "Ryan?" he prompted, just to be sure he'd been heard.

"I'm here." His voice sounded choked up, and for a second, Brendon was worried he'd upset him. "When and where?"

Brendon whimpered, giving him the address and telling him to come immediately. He hung up the phone a few seconds after Ryan had, allowing the reality that he'd actually said yes to fully sink in. Once the hand holding the phone had fallen away from his ear, his attention turned back to Dallon. He smiled and kissed Brendon deeply for a few seconds before letting down him to the ground and walking away. 

"Perfect, I guess we'll wait until he gets here." Brendon stood slumped against the wall, watching Dallon go in confusion.

"I mean, we can keep doing what we were in the mean time?" Brendon called after him, not sure if he should follow. He hadn't even been given a tour yet, and he didn't know if Dallon had gone into the bathroom or a lounge.

"Patience," Dallon's voice floated back to him, smooth and assertive. Brendon adjusted his erection in his pants and tried to act normal as he made his way across the floor to the doorway Dallon had gone through.

Brendon peeked his head in, mouth slowly opening as he saw what was inside. "Umm, am I really seeing this right now?" he asked, resisting the twin urges to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming, and to run far away very quickly.

Dallon turned to look at him across the room. He shrugged, the attempt at nonchalance being ruined by how worried he looked about how Brendon was going to react.

"You have a sex room." It wasn't a question. The floor was covered in mats and pillows that effectively turned the whole room into a bed, and the walls all had various sex toys and equipment hanging on them.

Dallon winced slightly. "I don't do anything half-assed."

Brendon nodded absent-mindedly as he stepped farther into the room, surveying each item on the walls with fascination.

Dallon started to take a step towards him twice, both times faltering and thinking better of it. "I'd understand if you're freaked out. I usually get to have this discussion with people before they're actually standing here seeing it all."

Brendon tore his eyes from the wall to look back at Dallon. His mouth had been hanging open, and he quickly closed it. "I'm not freaked out." He was only slightly surprised to realize he meant it. "I uhh, feel a little in over my head, but if you're willing to teach me..." Dallon was suddenly standing right in front of him, lightly gripping his jaw so Brendon looked up at him.

"Of course." His voice had dropped a little deeper, and he slowly licked his lips in a way Brendon was pretty sure was unconscious. He could see the affect he was having on Dallon as the other man's composure started to crack. He couldn't stop himself from playing with it.

"Just, be gentle with me?" He put on his most innocent voice and raised his eyebrows. The slight head tilt only helped to emphasize the role he was trying to play.

Dallon narrowed his eyes, presumably aware of Brendon's games, but being affected by them nonetheless.

They'd been standing there having a battle of willpower for a few moments when the buzzer sounded, and Dallon went to press the button to let Ryan in. When he got to the door, Ryan was wearing tight pants that Brendon had never seen on him before, and he was pretty sure the mental image would never leave him.

He only had a few seconds to wonder if inviting Ryan wasn't the single worst decision he'd made in his entire life, before Dallon had strode over to Ryan and started whispering in his ear. Brendon had been too disoriented to even make introductions, and here they were whispering together in front of him.

Brendon crossed his arms over his chest and pouted at them. Ryan caught his eye, his face shifting to something dark and erotic as he listened to Dallon. Brendon arched an eyebrow, dying to know what was being said. Ryan slowly licked his lips, his gaze running up and down Brendon's body as he listened to Dallon's instructions, nodding. Dallon pulled back a little to study Ryan's face before asking one more inaudible question. Ryan locked eyes with Dallon, a deep blush spreading up his neck and to his cheeks. He shook his head.

Dallon smiled mischievously and turned to look at Brendon, finally speaking loud enough to be heard. "You should try it," he said to Ryan.

Ryan walked passed Dallon, not stopping until he was within arms reach of Brendon. He licked his lips again, staring at Brendon's as he did it. Brendon felt like he couldn't breathe properly as they both stepped closer to him. Ryan placed a hand on his Brendon's shoulder as Dallon came up behind Ryan to watch. "He should try what?" Brendon's voice came out breathless, partially because he had an idea what was about to happen.

Dallon hooked his chin over Ryan's shoulder, his hands on Ryan's hips. "I said he should kiss you. You're very good at it." He smiled, and Brendon let out a soft "oh" just before Ryan pulled him closer and connected their lips.

Kissing Ryan felt different than kissing Dallon in so many ways. His face was soft, where Dallon's was scratchy, his hands were tender and caressing, where Dallon's where strong and demanding, and there wasn't as much of a height difference between them. There wasn't a way to determine which he preferred, they were both enjoyable in their own way.

As Ryan licked into his mouth and pressed closer, he felt a second pair of hands on him. Dallon pushed Brendon's hair back and watched them kiss. He felt heat rush to his face and he became self-conscious. He pulled back just enough to see Dallon's expression.

Dallon looked back and forth between them smugly. "Told you, didn't I?" Ryan nodded, his gaze unfocused. "Do you mind if I...?" Brendon realized Dallon was talking to him. He was asking if he could kiss Ryan. Brendon's eyes widened and he nodded, letting his arms drop to his side and stepping back. "Hey, don't go too far." Dallon hooked an arm around his waist and stuck his hand in Brendon's back pocket to keep him close.

Brendon didn't know what to do with his own hands as he watched Dallon kiss Ryan. From this angle he could watch Ryan's eyelashes fluttering shut, and the way Dallon's Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed. He didn't notice his mouth had been hanging open until they stopped, two sets of eyes turning in unison to look at him.

"Fuck," was all Brendon's brain could come up with to describe that experience.

Ryan's tongue ran over his swollen lips, and Brendon acted on impulse, closing the short distance between them to lick the same path Ryan's tongue had gone. Dallon's mouth appeared on Brendon's neck, sucking softly at the sensitive skin as he pushed Brendon closer with the hand on his ass.

Ryan made a noise between a moan and a whimper into Brendon's mouth, and he couldn't figure out why until he looked down and saw Dallon rubbing Ryan's erection through his pants. Brendon's eyebrows shot up. Somehow this was still surreal and unbelievable. This all felt like some ridiculous wet dream he was going to wake up from.

They managed to shuffle the short distance into the other room, still taking turns kissing and licking whatever skin was in view. When the flooring changed from hardwood to the mats, Ryan finally looked around at the new surroundings. He laughed through his nose in disbelief as Brendon shrugged. He didn't quite know what he'd gotten them into either.

They followed Dallon's lead, toeing their shoes off and kicking them out of the way. Some unspoken communication passed between the other two, and then they were each attacking a side of Brendon's neck. He couldn't keep track of whose hands were where as someone pulled his shirt off and a hand pinched one of his nipples.

Suddenly Brendon was shoved backwards. He landed in a pile of pillows, bouncing lightly as he watched Dallon kiss Ryan and pull his shirt off too. He bit at Ryan's lips, turning him by his hips to face towards Brendon. Ryan's eyes raked over Brendon as he laid on the ground, staring back. Apparently Ryan took too long to move, because Dallon patted him on the butt to nudge him to join Brendon on the floor as he went to a far corner of the room.

Ryan stepped over Brendon, one foot on either side of his hips so he could sit down and straddle him. Brendon ran his hands down Ryan's back and kissed him, his lips feeling raw and tingly.

He could hear Dallon's soft footsteps as he came back, and Brendon peeked over to see he'd removed his own shirt and only brought back lube and condoms. Brendon felt a little of the nervousness ease. It seemed Dallon was willing to take it easy on them since he hadn't pulled any of the variety of strange toys from the wall. Brendon felt enough out of his element without having to ask what some of those things were even used for.

Dallon reclined on the pillows next to them. He grabbed a fist full of Ryan's hair so he could pull his head towards him, taking his time to kiss Ryan before turning and kissing Brendon. He wasn't sure whose taste was on Dallon's tongue anymore as he felt Ryan's hands starting to undo his pants.

Dallon turned Brendon's face to lock eyes with him. He ran the pad of his thumb over Brendon's swollen lower lip. "Tell me. Who do you want to fuck you?"

Brendon felt the question send a surge of blood to his dick as it twitched in his pants. He looked back and forth between the two, not sure how to answer, or what the other one would be doing.

Dallon smiled, shaking his head. "Don't worry, no one's getting left out." Brendon studied Ryan's face and noticed he didn't look confused. He wondered if Dallon had told him what was going to happen as soon as he walked in the door.

Ryan reached into Brendon's pants and started slowly stroking his erection, not aiding the decision process. "Umm, Ryan." The name came out like a moan as he thrust his hips up into Ryan's fist.

Dallon's smile grew, not looking at all disappointed. He nodded at Ryan, who leaned forward to whisper in Brendon's ear. His thumb swiped over the head of Brendon's cock as he said, "You're going to blow him while I fuck you." It wasn't a question, and the instruction made him whine and nod enthusiastically.

Ryan moved to the side so Brendon could climb on top of Dallon, undoing his pants and pulling them off. He could hear Ryan removing his clothing behind him, so Brendon was the only one still partially clothed as he took Dallon's cock in his hand and licked up the side of it. Dallon tangled his fingers in Brendon's hair, and Ryan started to tug Brendon's pants down the rest of the way.

He tried his best to stay focused on the blowjob through the sound of the lube being opened and Ryan's hands running over his backside. He had most of Dallon's length in his mouth when Ryan circled his hole and pushed inside with one finger. He gasped and choked a little, breathing through his nose to keep his composure.

Ryan was relentless, pressing against his prostate on each thrust. By the time he had three fingers inside, Brendon was moaning around Dallon's cock and had to pull off to beg Ryan to do it already.

Dallon leaned forward, kissing Brendon and allowing him to catch his breath as Ryan rolled on the condom. Ryan pressed himself again Brendon's back, kissing between his shoulder blades as he guided Brendon's hips back into position.

Brendon stroked Dallon's cock that he was still holding a few times, slick with his own saliva, before tracing around the head with the tip of his tongue and taking it back down.

Ryan pushed slowly inside of him, both of them moaning and the vibrations reverberating through Dallon to share the pleasure. Dallon managed to sit up just enough so that he could kiss Ryan over Brendon's head. It sounded messy and disconnected as Ryan kept up a steady rhythm, slamming into Brendon.

Dallon collapsed back down, his orgasm building as he failed to contain the small thrusts of his hips trying to get deeper down Brendon's throat. The forced of Ryan's movements was pushing Brendon's head erratically onto Dallon, and if he'd had any more of a gag reflex it would have been uncomfortable.

Dallon let out a low rattling moan, his head falling back onto the pillows as Brendon sucked hard on the head of his cock and he came in Brendon's mouth. He took a few seconds to breath before pulling Brendon up against him, causing Ryan to slip out.

He helped Brendon roll over so he was laying with his back against Dallon's front, and Ryan shuffled forward on his knees to meet them. Dallon pulled Brendon's legs up to give him better access as he pushed back in. Ryan took advantage of the new position, kissing Brendon deeply as Dallon took Brendon's cock and started to stroke it in time with Ryan's thrusts.

Brendon bit down on Ryan's tongue moaning loudly from the stimulation from both of them. Ryan's pace picked up as he got closer to finishing, and Dallon noticed, swiping his thumb over the sensitive head of Brendon's cock and helping them to finish together. Brendon spilled over Dallon's hand, coating himself and Ryan in the process.

Ryan eased out and pulled off the condom, tossing in into a trashcan that Dallon indicated against the wall. They laid down together, Dallon against his back and Ryan wrapped around his front. He didn't feel a need for a blanket with all the body heat from the other two.

He shook lightly with laughter, the strangeness of the situation finally hitting him. Ryan cracked one eye open, smirking at him as Dallon hummed against his neck.

He looked at Ryan, a small smile twisting his lips. "I never thought you would have said yes."

Ryan exhaled a laugh through his nose, closing his eyes again. "In the future, if that's the question, assume I'm going to say yes." Dallon laughed gently behind him, reaching his arm out to cover both of them.

"You're both welcome back anytime." Brendon knew an answer wasn't required right then, but it still felt like he had a decision to make.

**Choose your path:**

**To date Ryan, go to chapter 24.**

**To date Dallon, go to chapter 32.**

**To date both, go to chapter 33.**


	24. Chapter 24

"Ryan!" Brendon's voice echoed through the house as he yelled the name. They were running beyond late, and Spencer was going to have them both castrated if they didn't get out the door immediately. He had multiple frantic texts from Jon, and all he could do was assure them they were on their way, because that damn traffic just wouldn't let up. It definitely wasn't that they'd gotten carried away with some shower sex and totally missed both of their alarms going off. 

"Fucking hell, Ryan! I'm sure your outfit looks fine. Get the fuck down-" Ryan appeared at the top of the stairs, making the rest of Brendon's sentence unnecessary as he descended them two steps at a time. He went right for the door, stepping through it before turning around and smirking.

"What are you waiting for?" He went for the car as Brendon mumbled angrily and locked the door after them. 

They broke every speed limit on the way there, Brendon zigzagging around cars he deemed to be moving too slowly as Ryan gripped the handle on the roof and closed his eyes. 

They arrived at the location in a cloud of dust and screeching tires. Mike and Dan had apparently been sent to wait out front and direct them where to go. Brendon got ushered off down a corridor by Mike as Ryan disappeared around the back of the building with Dan.

"We're barely even late," Brendon tried to defend. Mike glared at him.

"Spencer is having a coniption. I've never seen his face so red, and that's including the time we went to Florida and he forgot the sunscreen."

Brendon winced and braced himself for the attack when Mike stopped in front of a closed door, waiting for him to enter first.

"Wimp," Brendon muttered to him as he pushed it open.

Spencer was pacing madly across the room, and whipped around to face him when he heard the door open. "You look amazing," Brendon said before he could get a lecture on the importance of punctuality.

"You bet your ass I do." Spencer's tension seemed to drain a little as he and Brendon stared at each other across the room. "This is really happening." He said it halfway between a question and a statement.

Brendon closed the distance between them, putting his hands reassuringly on Spencer's shoulders. "It is. Let's go get you married." Spencer slowly grinned, his eyes welling up with happiness.

They followed the corridors to the back of the building, and Brendon was struck breathless by the scene set out on the back lawn of the banquet hall. There were rows of seats, maybe a couple dozen at most, with their friends and Spencer and Jon's families occupying them. They'd decided aisles were unnecessary and a stupid tradition, so instead they merely walked around the outside, lining up in front of the audience with Spencer in the position of honour.

Brendon quickly found Ryan's face amongst the crowd and smiled at him, his pride and happiness for his friends overwhelming. Ryan's answering smile held so much love and affection, Brendon felt like his heart could burst.

Jon, Dan, and Nicole came out of the building, walking the other way around the chairs and meeting them at the front. Jon and Spencer immediately joined hands, looking like they could cry at any second.

Z stepped up to stand behind them, welcoming everyone for coming. Brendon furrowed his brow and leaned over to whisper to Mike. "Z's officiating?"

Mike hummed in agreement. "The person they'd arraged couldn't make it, and apparently Z's been ordained since some drunken night in Reno." He shrugged like it wasn't something out of character for Z, and Brendon couldn't help but agree.

"I'm not sure I really believed in love for most of my life," Z started in what must have been the least conventional wedding speech ever. The audience chuckled. "That all changed about a year ago. Not just because I fell in love, but because I was able to witness it from these two men standing before you. Jon and Spencer love each other so fiercely, and with so much certainty, it makes you think it should be easy. I think anyone who's ever been in love will probably tell you it's not, but maybe every now and then, two people are just so perfectly suited for each other, that for them it is as simple as waking up in the morning. It just happens. It just is."

Brendon could only see Spencer's back from his position, but he was pretty sure he'd started crying by the slight tremor of his shoulders. Jon reached his hand up to gently wipe a tear away, the tender look on his face almost breaking Brendon's resolve to keep it together. He looked back into the crowd to see Ryan looking choked up himself, and wished he could be holding his hand.

"Spencer and Jon have each prepared some vows." She nodded to Jon, who took a deep breath and squeezed Spencer's hands before reaching into his suit jacket to pull out a folded piece of paper.

"Spencer, when we first met, I instantly saw that you would be a special person in my life." Spencer made a strangled noise and sniffled. "You are unlike any other person on this Earth, and I don't want to have to imagine a day of my future spent without you. You can make me laugh so hard my chest hurts, and when you're not around, it feels like an important piece of me is missing. I will do everything in my power to be the husband you deserve, and to make every day the happiest it can possibly be. I love you so much."

He put the paper back in his pocket and Z nodded at Spencer for him to take his turn. He sniffled hard and wiped furiously as his eyes, blinking back the tears that hadn't fallen yet. He had to clear his throat before starting.

"Jon, to say you're the best thing that ever happened to me would be an understatement." His voice was thick as he tried to keep it steady. If Brendon hadn't heard this speech a hundred times over, he might have thought he was making it up on the fly. It came out so natural and honest sounding. "Every cliche I can think of pales in comparison to my actual feelings. I could say you're the light of my life, my rock, the stars in my sky, and all of those things would be true, but you're even more than that. I promise to love you with all of my heart, every day, every moment. I can't wait to share my life with you. I love you." Suddenly it was Jon who had to tip his head back to keep the tears at bay. Spencer stepped forward and hugged him briefly, their arms closing around each other with crushing force.

Z cleared her throat. "Rings?" They laughed lightly, smiling at her and accepting the rings she held out to them. "Do you, Jonathan Walker, take Spencer Smith, to be your husband?"

Jon grinned and nodded. "I do." Spencer slid the ring onto his finger, both of their hands shaking slightly.

"Do you, Spencer Smith, take Jonathan Walker, to be your husband?" Spencer answered before she'd barely finished speaking.

"Yes, I do." Jon put the ring on his finger, his hand lingering to feel the metal sitting on Spencer's skin.

"Then by all the power invested in me by The American Marriage Ministries, I declare you married. Go ahead and kiss." Jon pulled Spencer forward by the hips, kissing him and dipping him backwards as the crowd screamed and cheered. Brendon whistled loudly, clapping and smiling so large his cheeks hurt. When they broke apart, Z shouted, "Let's party!"

Everyone shuffled from that area to the tent further back on the property where a dance floor and bar was set up. Spencer and Jon had wanted something quick and simple, but it seemed perfectly suited to them.

They'd designed a signature drink which Brendon had forced them to name "Joncer", which was super sweet, and a weird blue colour. Brendon couldn't help but laugh when he imagined what people's throw up would look like if they had a few too many.

He quickly found Ryan who was talking to Nicole and Z. "Remind me not to let you officiate our wedding," Ryan was joking. Brendon froze, locking eyes with Ryan as he realized what he'd just said. "I mean, not that we have any plans to... we haven't even really talked about... I'm going to go over there," Ryan stammered before trying desperately to disappear into the small crowd.

Brendon smirked at Z and Nicole before following him. "Hey," he caught Ryan's arm and held it until he reluctantly turned around to face him, his cheeks deep red with a blush. Brendon gently cupped Ryan's cheek with his hand, feeling the heat coming off of it as Ryan stared at him with huge eyes. "I would be honoured to marry you." He kissed Ryan, holding him close as he felt the other man exhale all of his worries.

"Really?"

"Of course. But this doesn't count as official or anything. I expect a romantic proposal with flowers, like a lady deserves."

Ryan snorted and shook his head, staring at Brendon with bewilderment. "How did I possibly get so lucky as to end up with you?"

Brendon smiled and tapped the tip of Ryan's nose with his finger, "Because I chose you, silly." He grapped Ryan's hands and pulled him to the dance floor. "How many drinks would be required for you to dance with me?"

Ryan wrapped his arms around Brendon's neck and swayed his hips to the beat. "Tonight, none."

**End.**

**Thank you so much for reading. This is one of many endings, so it would be great if you could leave a comment saying you got this one! If you want to try for a different one, go back to chapter 1 to start again.**


	25. Chapter 25

Nicole got up, grabbing Z's hand and pulling her to the stairs of the theatre. They tried to suppress their giggles as they ran down the stairs, taking the sharp turn and heading for the exit. The movie reached a loud action scene, and the carpeting and soundproofing of the theatre made it impossible to hear their own footsteps. Nicole was still holding Z's hand when she felt it tug on her, stopping her movement and pulling her backwards. Her body twisted as she turned around, and collided with Z's torso. Z's hands were quickly in her hair as she pinned Nicole against the wall of the theatre. The sound of Nicole's gasp was covered by an explosion in the movie, and Z's eyes glinted with the reflection from the screen as she pulled back to smile at Nicole wickedly. 

Z's lips ghosted over the shell of Nicole's ear, sending waves of need up and down Nicole's spine as she pulled Z closed by her hips. "I'm thinking the bathroom is too far away." Z's voice was heavier than usual, sounding desperate as she licked a stripe up Nicole's neck. 

Nicole nodded, tilting her head to the side to allow Z better access. "Much too far. I don't think I'd survive the journey." Nicole sighed dramatically and pretended to swoon. Z caught her from falling and held her against the wall, her taller stature allowing it. 

Z caressed Nicole's face with the back of her had and pretended to take her temperature. "My goodness, you're burning up." She widened her eyes dramatically and held Nicole's face between her palms. 

"Go on without me; I'll only slow you down." Z broke character to laugh before schooling her expression back into that of mock seriousness. 

"No one gets left behind." She levelled her gaze with Nicole's before kissing her, their laughter caught between them.

Z's hands ran up and down Nicole's waist as Nicole clutched her shoulder blades, kissing Z like her life depended on it. The thrill of someone walking down this hallway and seeing them had her heart pounding wildly in her chest, and it felt needlessly reckless, but it was also the most alive she'd felt in a while.

Z's hand pushed up her shirt slightly, stroking over the skin of her stomach as her tongue traced the sides of Nicole's. Nicole moaned and hooked a leg around Z to pull her close just as a scene ended and the theatre went deadly silent.

Z started shaking with laughter, hiding her face in the side of Nicole's hair in an attempt to keep quiet. Nicole let her foot fall back to the floor and she slid down the wall, taking Z with her so they ended up sitting on the carpet, still holding each other.

Z smiled at her in a weird way. "What are you thinking?" Nicole asked, feeling a burning desire to know what was going on in her mind.

Z shook her head, like she was in disbelief. "It's just the way you make me feel." She tilted her head and studied Nicole's face in the soft glow from the screen.

Nicole smiled back, running her thumb over Z's knuckles where she'd taken her hand. "I know what you mean. I don't think I've ever felt this-" she paused, wanting to express the depth of her feelings but not wanting to scare Z off by being too forward. She swallowed, reaching out to touch Z's cheekbone just to remind herself that the other woman was real. "-excited to spend time with someone." It felt like an understatement, but the way Z's face lit up made her decide it was good enough for now.

They eventually got off the floor to go back to their seats. Z kicked her legs up to rest over top of Nicole's, and Nicole traced patterns absent-mindedly on her knees. The movie turned out to be pretty forgettable, but Nicole was sure she'd never forget those moments spent with Z.

**Proceed to chapter 31.**


	26. Chapter 26

Nicole placed her hand over Z's forearm, stroking slowly over the skin as she leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I think we can have fun here." She darted her tongue out to hit the shell of Z's ear and noted the shiver that ran through Z's body. She nodded a little eagerly.

Z's hand slowly move up her thigh as they leaned closer. Nicole could feel her pulse in her throat and she swallowed down the anticipation. Her breathing stopped the second their lips touched. They sat, their mouths softly pressed together and not moving, before Z tilted her head and deepened the kiss. Nicole felt her whole body melt and her heart kick back into motion. She grabbed the back of Z's head, holding her in place and Z pulled on Nicole's knee, placing her half in her lap. 

Nicole growled softly in the back of her throat, hoping her friends weren't paying attention. She really didn't feel like having to be teased about this for the rest of her life, but as Z bit her lip she found it harder and harder to care. 

The movie was dull and poorly scripted, so they really didn't have a problem ignoring it to make out for most of the run time. Every now and then an explosion on the screen would make them jump and look around, or Nicole would get paranoid that Spencer was judging them and glance over, but each time she checked they were watching the movie and ignoring her. She could see Brendon and Ryan holding hands a few seats away, and it made her heart happy to know Brendon was doing well. She nudged Z and tried to subtly point in their direction so she could see too. She put her hand on her chest and mouthed an "aww".

When the movie ended and the light came back on, they all slid their coats back on and shuffled out of the theatre. Ryan said he was going to walk home since there wasn't enough room in the car, and Brendon offered to go with him.

The others piled in Spencer's car, Z and Nicole still sitting all pressed together even though they had the whole backseat to themselves this time.

"Where did you want to be dropped off?" Spencer asked, starting the car and looking at them between the headrests.

Z looked at her, a small smile on her face, but her words said oddly seriously for what they were. "I'll go wherever you go."

Nicole smiled back, feeling something important click into place, and told Spencer to take them home.

**Please proceed** **to chapter 28.**


	27. Chapter 27

Nicole shook her head slowly. "You know, I'm not even sure why I let you talk me into this. I think I'm going to head home." Brendon's jaw dropped as he looked crestfallen.

"What? We only just got here." The other guys looked at her with understanding, likely wondering if they could bail too without feeling Brendon's wrath.

"Honestly, anyone I met at a club probably wouldn't be my type anyway. I'm going to go home, maybe smoke some weed, and watch a movie." Jon nodded his approval, but Brendon just glared at her.

"You're the worst wing-man ever." He even pouted little, trying to pull on her heart strings.

Nicole stuck her tongue out at him. "You make it hard by having no game," she teased. She dodged his arm as he flung it out in an attempt to hit her. Smirking, she downed the rest of her beer and waved goodbye to the table.

It was a clear night, if a little cool, but she decided to walk home. She didn't spend a lot of time alone in the city, especially at night, so she was enjoying the exploration. Sound wafted from open doors as the night life started to kick off.

She wasn't overly interested in actually going into the buildings until she passed one doorway with light pouring out from behind a beaded curtain. It was the same beaded curtain she'd had on her bedroom as a young child, and something in the nostalgia made her pause. There was light music coming though it, and no signs on the building to say what was behind the door. Her curiosity got the best of her, and she pushed back the curtain, ducking inside. 

A long hallway stretched to a set of stairs, and at the top of that was a single door. She followed the stairs up, wondering if she was even allowed to be here or this was some private property. 

She gingerly opened the door, peeking her head through to see a rooftop patio. She stepped fully out, closing the door behind her, and took in all the elaborate decorations. There were string lights wrapping the railing of the whole perimeter, and large planters of beautiful flowers, each with a variety of colours, in the corners. The couches scattered across the patio all had beautiful people lounging on them, and Nicole felt weirdly out of place in her bar clothes. 

She gravitated towards one of the railings, leaning over it to look at the street below. It felt higher up than was proportionate with the amount of stairs she'd climbed. There was a low level of chatter from the people around, none of them paying much attention to her, as a small jazz trio played on a stage. A waiter came around with a tray and offered her a champagne glass of water, taking her order for a glass of wine and bowing slightly as he went away. 

She sipped at the water, only slightly concerned that it would have some kind of drug because this place just did not make sense if everyone was sober. The waiter returned with her white wine and she traded it for the water glass. Something about how clean the water tasted just didn't sit right with her. The wine was sweet, and had a familiar taste she couldn't quite put her finger on. 

She sipped at the wine, trying to place the taste as she watched the people around her. They were mostly grouped into pairs, leaning close to have intimate conversations. She didn't notice the woman approaching her from the side until she heard the soft sound of a throat being cleared. She turned to look, startling slightly at how close she was standing. "Oh, hello," Nicole greeted the stranger. She tried not to stare as she realized how beautiful the woman was.

"Hi. Haven't seen you here before." The woman didn't phrase it like a question, so Nicole wasn't sure how to answer.

"Umm, no, I just wandered in off the street." The woman's gaze flicked down and back up her body, and although her expression didn't look judgmental, she felt even more acutely that she didn't fit into her surroundings. "You come here often?"

The woman laughed, as if there was some joke in what she'd asked. "Oh yes, too often. I own it." She smiled as Nicole's eyebrows shot up. The woman looked about her age, certainly not old enough to own a business and be so cavalier about it.

"Wow, well, it's beautiful." She couldn't quite tell in the lighting if the woman blushed.

"Thank you, my name's Z by the way." She held out her hand to shake, and Nicole was struck with the impression that Z was either much older than she looked, or had been forced to mature in a hurry.

"I'm Nicole." She fit her hand in Z's, making a conscious effort to shake it firmly, to inject confidence she maybe didn't have. 

They sat down at one of the tables by the rail so they could still look out over the city. The night was dark and crisp, but somehow the rooftop had no wind disturbing it.

Z refused to let her pay for any more drinks while they were together, and Nicole gladly gave her wallet a rest. Once they'd gotten another glass of wine each, a type Z recommended that Nicole much preferred to the other she'd tried, Nicole asked, "So can you tell me how you own this place? Or would you have to kill me?" She smirked, hoping to keep it light on the off chance Z wouldn't want to talk about it.

Z's laughter had a melodic ring to it, the sound alone bringing a genuine smile to Nicole's face. "Oh, it's nothing so mysterious. We had a family friend that ran it, and he got bored, so he gave it to me." She shrugged like this was something that happened all the time in her world.

Nicole nodded a little jerkily. "Wow. Was it like this before?" She indicated to the decor, and tried to include the general ambiance of the place, but wasn't sure if that was clear.

"Fuck, no." She got a far off look in her eye. "It used to be a dive. So tacky. Cigarette butts on the floor, the whole nine yards." Nicole looked around at the modern, classy place before her, unable to imagine it any other way.

"Well this seems much better." She wasn't sure what she meant by that. A tacky bar might have felt more comfortable, but the new design was definitely cooler.

"If I'm being honest," Z leaned closer and lowered her voice, "we make way less money now."

Nicole laughed loudly, slapping a hand over her mouth as the people nearby frowned at her.

"Seriously," Z continued, "middle-aged drunks spend way more than upper class socialites. These people buy one drink and sip at it for hours."

Nicole didn't even have to look around to know that was true. None of the people there were getting drunk, they were enjoying the atmosphere and only holding a drink because it felt required. "Well, you could always change it back, right? Making it run down again would probably be easier than fixing it up was."

Z smiled in amusement. "True, but it wouldn't feel authentic. I made this bar into myself, and trying to be someone you're not never draws the right people in."

Nicole wasn't sure if they were still talking about the bar. "So, if I'm understanding this correctly, you're an upper class socialite who doesn't get drunk?"

Z laughed deeply, throwing her head back and showing all of her teeth. "You know Nicole, I think you're the first person to ever really get me."

Nicole smirked at her, not buying a word of that. None of those descriptors seemed to apply to Z, yet on some level, maybe that was how Z saw herself.

Nicole tilted her head to the side, about to say something she figured she'd regret. "Before I came here I was in a bar pretty similar to your friend's old one, and I think you would have fit in there just as seamlessly as you do in this world you created." She was pretty sure that was a bold statement to say to a near stranger.

Z's smile changed into something considering. Her voice held something different when she answered, but Nicole couldn't quite put her finger one what it was. "Some days I'm not sure I fit in anywhere." Maybe it was honesty. Nicole wasn't sure what to do with that information, or with the prolonged eye contact they were now sharing.

She wondered if asking what Z did for fun would come across as a desperate attempt to change the subject. She didn't feel uncomfortable with Z's honesty, she just didn't know how far to push it. "It's not places you fit into, it's people. If you're with the right ones, then you're in the right place." It came out more greeting card-y than she'd intended, but something about the look in Z's eye made her want to reassure the woman.

Z sipped her wine, licking the remainder off of her lip as she lowered the glass. "And do you feel like you're in the right place?" Z said it casually, but Nicole's stomach knotted up regardless. She got the impression of playing with fire.

After toying with various responses in her mind, Nicole went with the most straight forward one. "I do." She finished the rest of her wine, her mouth suddenly very dry.

"Can I show you something?" Z asked, already standing up before she'd gotten a response. Nicole followed, leaving her empty glass on the table as Z took her behind the bar and through a hallway into the building.

There was barely enough light to see, only one dim sconce on the wall every few metres. They passed multiple doors that all looked the same, dark wood with no labels or identifying features. 

Z opened the door at the very end, proceeding to go up a winding staircase. Nicole hesitated only a moment before following. If she was going to consider the risks of following a stranger into their home, it was probably already past the point of no return.

The stairs opened up to a landing that was in the shape of a circle, like a tower. Nicole hadn't noticed the building being a weird shape from the outside, but here they were in this room, with windows around all the walls giving a three-hundred and sixty degree view of the city, and a skylight over head. The only items in the room were a telescope and a stool.

Z stood in the centre and watched her as she gravitated towards the wall, enraptured by the view.

"I maybe should have asked if you were afraid of heights, but I assumed it would be okay since you were practically throwing yourself over the balcony downstairs." Z spoke at a normal volume, but it sounded loud in the perfect silence of the room.

Nicole couldn't stop staring. All the lights stretched out around them, showing the city limits where it cut suddenly to pitch blackness near the horizon. She felt breathless as she answered, "This is stunning."

She spent a few minutes taking it all in, adjusting to the feeling of being on top of everything, then she turned back to Z, who was still just watching her. "Do you use that to stargaze?" She indicated to the telescope, hoping the darkness hid the blush on her cheeks from the way Z was looking at her.

Z seemed to snap back to reality, moving to the telescope and looking through it at the sky. "Sometimes." She moved it around, focusing on something before gesturing for Nicole to look.

She studied the planet Z was showing her, trying to wrack the depths of her mind for grade 9 science class. "That's Venus?"

Z smiled and nodded, looking impressed. "It is." She took back the telescope and pivoted it, focusing on something else. "Most of the time I look at other things though."

She stepped back again and Nicole peered through the eye piece into someone's living room. They were sitting on the couch eating dinner and watching tv. Nicole snorted and looked away. "I think that's illegal."

Z shrugged. "They should close their curtains then." She pulled it back towards herself so she could move it to another target.

Nicole couldn't stop her inner psychology student from coming out. "Maybe that's why you feel on the outside of things." Z glanced sideways at her, still bent over the telescope. Nicole considered her words carefully. "You come up here, I'm assuming alone, and watch people's lives. No connections to them, or who they really are."

Z nudged the stood out of the way and sat down on it, waving her hand for Nicole to look into the telescope again. Nicole studied her face for an extra few seconds, trying to determine if she was annoying her.

When she looked back into it, there was a cluster of winking stars. She didn't know enough to identify a constellation, but the twinkling of their light was gorgeous. Z's voice came evenly, "I'm not alone now. Maybe that's a step in the right direction."

When Nicole stood up, Z was next to her, not quite touching, but close enough to make her heart speed up in her chest. Nicole slowly parted her lips, her mind a total blank of anything to say, but feeling like the moment would be weird if she didn't say anything.

"Can I kiss you?" Z said before she got the chance.

"Yes?" In came out with an upward inflection, but Z accepted it anyway. Her hands gently cupped the sides of Nicole's face, her fingers reaching around to touch the back of her neck. Nicole tipped her head back to look up at Z, the soft moonlight making the hair around her face glow.

Z's eyes fluttered shut as she leaned in, pressing their lips together. Nicole finally decided to move her arms, bringing them up to press against Z's shoulder blades, holding their bodies together.

Nicole breathed slowly through her nose, feeling every place her skin touched Z's spark with the awareness of her.

Z pulled back after the chaste kiss, looking into her eyes for a moment as she blinked them open again.

Nicole let out a breath of a laugh through her nose, the moment feeling too perfect and surreal to not be funny. Z smiled and exhaled, slowly lowering her hands to rest on Nicole's shoulders.

"You should come back some time." Z's voice was low, and her breath ghosted over Nicole's cheek as she spoke.

"Pretty sure I'm free tomorrow night," Nicole said, biting the corner of her lip.

Z smiled and didn't say anything, turning back to look through the telescope at the sky.

Nicole silently let herself out of the room, following the path back down the stairs, across the bar, and out of the building. When she got to the street, she turned to look back up at it from the ground, noting the top tower where Z was likely still sat. She wondered if Z was watching her leave, and waved just in case she was.

\-------

Nicole went back the next evening. After a long, late night conversation with Brendon about the people they'd both met the night before, she knew she had to see if there was something between her and Z. It had been the most amazing first kiss of her life, but Z still seemed strange and unknowable to her.

She battled with herself getting dressed, wanting to fit into that crowd, but ultimately deciding it would be hypocritical to not be herself.

She waited until it was later in the night to leave, time crawling slower than usual. Brendon had gone out to the movies early on and hadn't come back since, so she wasted the day playing video games and smoking like she'd planned to the previous night. The weed might not have been the best idea, since the time dilation hit her hard, and it felt like days had passed by the time she was finally walking up the sidewalk to the building.

The bar looked exactly as it had the last time she was there, almost eerily so. It could have been the exact same people, wearing the same clothes, for all she could tell. They blended together, seeming like background decoration. She wasn't sure if it would have felt the same way if Z hadn't been there to provide a stark contrast. She was wearing boots, a plaid skirt, and a red blazer the exact shade of her lipstick. Nicole couldn't stop herself from grinning when they locked eyes across the room.

Nicole stood frozen to the spot as Z practically skipped towards her, flinging her arms around Nicole's neck and hugging her like an old friend. She gave really good hugs, and Nicole smiled into her hair as she squeezed back.

"I'm so glad you came," Z's voice said in her ear. All night Nicole had been hearing immitations of Z's voice in her dreams, but nothing compared to the real thing.

"I couldn't not."

Z laughed and took her hand. "What did you want to do? Surely not stay here."

Nicole looked around, silently agreeing that the bar wasn't her favourite place to be. "Come on," Nicole instructed, leading her out of the building.

They went to an all night diner down the street, grabbing menus and seating themselves as per the sign at the door. Nicole knew her order without having to look, and her eyes ran over the various vintage signs that decorated the walls as Z looked the menu over.

The waitress came to greet them, smiling at Nicole and setting down a milkshake without her having to order. "And what can I get you to drink, darlin'?" she asked Z.

Z looked at Nicole with amusement before ordering an iced tea. "So _here_ you come often?" Z smirked at her, clearly knowing she was a regular.

Nicole laughed, her finger tracing the seam of the menu where the thread appeared and disappeared between the plastic, holding the pages together. "Yeah. It's part of a chain, and my home town had one that looked identical, so it was kind of a little slice of nostalgia when I first moved to this foreign city."

Z nodded in understanding. "Do you want to play a game?"

Nicole furrowed her brow. "A game?" She repeated, convinced that she'd somehow misheard Z even though her voice was clear in the quiet restaurant. 

Z nodded. She directed her attention to the mini jukebox that their table had, and started turning the knob to flip through different song choices. "Like an ice breaker. Ask me any question you want, the more personal the better, and I'll answer one hundred percent honestly." Z picked a song, slipping a quarter into the machine and grinning as _Hit Me With Your Best Shot_ by Pat Benatar came through the speakers.

Nicole's mind raced, trying to decide which question would allow her the most insight into Z's brain.  
  


**Choose your path:**

**To ask Z about her childhood, go to chapter 35.**

**To ask Z about her love life, go to chapter 36.**


	28. Chapter 28

"Hey. Hello. Good morning." Z's voice came from the direction of the bedroom door, and Nicole groggily squinted her eyes against the sunlight in an attempt to see her. Her hair was mostly covering her face and she couldn't find the strength to answer, so she merely grunted in response.

"Have I told you lately that you're gorgeous in the mornings?" Z's voice was more cheery and enthusiastic than normal, and Nicole grabbed the nearest pillow to pull over her head, hoping ignoring her would lead to the ability to sleep longer.

Suddenly the bed bounced as Z pounced on top of her, managing to avoid actually landing on her with a knee on either side of Nicole's body. "What do you want?" Nicole groaned from beneath the pillow, removing it only briefly from its place on top of her head to swing it wildly backwards in an attempt to hit Z off of her.

"Well, my dearest, love of my life, what I wanted was to tell you I've decided we're going on a vacation." Her smirk was audible in her tone, as was the satisfaction that she knew those words would be enough to get Nicole's attention.

Nicole slowly pulled the pillow away, looking at Z skeptically. "Where?" Something about it felt like a trap, but that could have just been the earliness of the time messing with her cognitive processing.

Z shrugged, flopping to the bed next to her so they were at eye level. "Wherever you want. Italy? New Zealand? I want to celebrate our one year anniversary in style." Z wiggled her eyebrows and grinned.

Nicole battled to keep the smile from spreading across her face, shooting for a feigned indifference instead of the overwhelming love she was feeling for her girlfriend. "Yeah, I guess that would be alright." Instead of sounding causal, her voice came out more like a bad Ryan impression. Z thought this was hilarious and cracked up with giggles. Nicole glared jokingly back at her. "Was there a reason you needed to wake me up at the ungodly hour of-" she checked her watch and made a face at the numbers she saw there, "-11:30am, to tell me that?"

Z smiled at her affectionately. "I'm not going to justify that with an answer. Come shower with me and we'll figure out where we want to go." Nicole nodded and pushed herself to a seated position, the sheets pooling around her. Z reached out a hand to help her up from the bed and Nicole took it, pulling herself up to kneeling but not getting off the bed just yet.

"You know how much I love you?" she asked, pulling Z closer and pecking her on the lips.

Z wrapped her arms around Nicole and lifted her from the bed, spinning a full circle before allowing her feet to touch the ground. "Yeah, I think I have a pretty good idea." She tucked a piece of hair behind Nicole's ear as she nuzzled into her neck and just stood there. They breathed together for a moment, Nicole's heart swelling with affection for the woman in her arms and the life they had built together.

All in one movement, Z pulled away and grabbed a towel, turning to smack Nicole's butt with it. "Come on, shower, chop chop!" Z disappeared into the bathroom, her laughter drifting behind her as Nicole followed.

**End.**

**Thank you so much for reading. This is one of many endings, so it would be great if you could leave a comment saying you got this one! If you want to try for a different one,**  
 **go back to chapter 1 to** **start again.**


	29. Chapter 29

"I fucking love Die Hard," Nicole said. "It is the first one, yeah?" Brendon moved over so they could all fit on the couch together. Z tucked her feet up underneath her and rested her head on Nicole's shoulder.

"Of course," Brendon scoffed. "You guys had a date or something?" He must have noted their slightly fancy clothing.

Nicole blushed a little and looked at Z out of the corner of her eye. Z nodded and leaned forward to look at Brendon. "We did. It was an amazing date." Nicole's blush deepened. She took Z's hand and laced their fingers together, playing with the rings Z had on her fingers.

She lowered her voice and leaned into Z's ear, her hair tickling Nicole's nose. "I had a great time too."

Z's eyes reflected the movie screen as she looked at Nicole, a soft smile curling her lips. Brendon quoted along with the movie's dialogue, seemingly paying them no attention.

Nicole leaned forward and kissed Z, her heart in her throat.

"Ho ho ho, motherfucker!" Brendon exclaimed. Z giggled against her mouth, pulling back to peck a kiss on her nose before looking back to the tv.

As Nicole sat between the two of them on the couch, she felt like she'd done something right in her life to end up there.

**Please proceed to chapter 28.**


	30. Chapter 30

"Actually, if you wouldn't mind..." Nicole's voice trailed off. She felt bad kicking Brendon out of his own apartment so she could hook up with her girlfriend. Was Z her girlfriend? She kind of hoped so.

"Say no more!" Brendon jumped to his feet, grinning at them knowingly. He hastily pulled on his shoes, losing his balance as he tried to stand on one foot and having to catch himself on the wall. He grabbed a jacket and slung it over his shoulder, darting out the door with a wink and some finger guns.

"That was surprisingly easy," Z remarked, turning to Nicole and stepping closer.

Nicole raised her hand to touch the tips of Z's hair. "Oh yeah, Brendon's always on board with getting people laid." Her tone was playful, but there was something darker beneath it. It sounded predatory to her own ears.

"A man after my own heart." Z leaned closer, the front of their bodies now pressed together.

Nicole twisted the lock of hair she was holding around her finger, studying it and ignoring Z's gaze which was aimed at her own face. "Maybe some day you'll meet him properly." She tried to make it sound casual, and not like a desperate attempt to get Z to say she'd remain in her life.

She could just see the hint of a smile on Z's face in her peripheral vision as Z kissed her cheek. Cheek kisses were supposed to be chaste, but this was nothing of the sort. Z's mouth was hot and open as she kissed Nicole's skin, and Nicole groaned deep in her throat, turning to align their mouths properly.

Z's tongue darted into her mouth, taking it over and claiming it. Nicole realized she was still holding Z's hair only after she'd started pulling on it. Z's hand ran up her waist, her thumb resting on the outer edge of Nicole's bra over her shirt. Nicole felt a rush of adrenaline as she pushed impossibly closer to Z, feeling like the layers of clothing between them were in the way.

Z made these delicious panting moans that drove Nicole crazy. All she could think about was causing them, and making Z as vocal as possible. She bit at Z's earlobe, whispering, "I'm going to let you choose what I fuck you with."

Z's whole body shivered for a second before she threw herself on Nicole, wrapping her limbs around so Nicole had to support her whole weight. Nicole tried to maneuver them in the direction of her bedroom, lightly bumping into walls and furniture since Z wouldn't stop kissing her.

Her door was pushed mostly closed, but not latched, so she shoved Z's back against it to swing it open, following the motion of it and pinning Z against the door. She sucked on the skin below Z's jaw as Z lowered one of her feet back to the ground, the other leg still wrapped around Nicole.

Nicole undid Z's pants, reaching her hand in at an awkward angle to reach her clit. Z's head fell back against the door as her hands scratched Nicole's back. Nicole kissed down her neck, over her collarbone to the top swell of her breasts. She could feel Z's deep breaths making her chest rise and fall as she rubbed inside her pants.

Z grabbed Nicole's jaw and brought her head back up to eye level. "I thought you were going to fuck me." Z's tone was demanding and impatient, and only made Nicole want to make her wait even more.

"So impatient," Nicole teased, pressing her hand a little farther into Z's pants, and managing to get just the tip of her middle finger inside of her.

All of Z's muscles clenched. "That is not fair," Z ground out from behind a clenched jaw as Nicole laughed playfully.

Nicole kissed her once more, swirling her tongue inside Z's mouth as her finger preformed the same motion. All at once she pulled back, leaving Z panting and slumped against the door.

Nicole slid a drawer of the bedside table open, indicating it with a flourish of her wrist. "The choice is yours."

Z stepped up, looking at Nicole's collection of various vibrators and dildos with raised eyebrows. Her hand immediately went to the glass dildo, lifting it in her hands and running a finger experimentally over the ridges on the shaft. "Umm..."

Nicole quirked one side of her mouth. "You know, I have a weird feeling you might like that one." She covered Z's hand where it held the toy and guided her to lay down on the bed. She pulled Z's pants and underwear off in one slow motion, dipping her head to kiss at random parts of Z's legs that enticed her.

Z propped herself up on her elbows, her shirt still on, as her eyes followed Nicole's movements. Her pants pooled on the ground, and Nicole went back up to sit between Z's legs, taking the glass between her palms to warm it up. She put the tip of it into her mouth, her eyes locked on Z's as she reached her tongue out to wet it with her saliva. Z's lips were parted as she stared, looking impossibly turned on.

Nicole gently nudged her knees into a bent position, and Z let them fall open onto the bed. She rubbed the toy over Z's clit before lining it up and slowly pushing inside of her. Z exhaled shakily, her eyes wide at the foreign sensation. Nicole watched her face for a few moments and she moved the toy in and out, twisting it at different angles to judge Z's reactions.

Once she's gotten Z writhing on the sheets and biting the nearest pillow, Nicole added her mouth, dipping her head down to lick around the base of the dildo where it entered Z. She moved higher, feeling how easily the toy in her hand slid back and forth as Z got more wet. Nicole swirled her tongue in a circle around Z's clit, alternating licking over it and sucking on it.

Z's orgasm hit with no warning, her body stalling and twitching as she all but screamed Nicole's name. "Oh, my ever loving fuck," Z panted, covering her eyes with one hand while the other looked like it was trying to keep her heart in her chest.

Nicole tried to pull the dildo out gently, still eliciting a small whimper from Z as it did. She placed it standing by the base on the bedside table and crawled up Z's body, kissing her damp forehead. It felt weird that they were still three quarters dressed, but she waited for Z to recover.

Z sat up on the bed, pulling her shirt over her head before turning to Nicole and eagerly helping her do the same. Z attached her mouth to Nicole's neck, sucking and biting at a spot that would likely have a mark for a few days afterwards, Z multitasking to start taking her pants off as she did it. Nicole let little noises fall from her lips since she couldn't help it.

Nicole wiggled her hips to help Z pull her pants down, and then laid back on the bed. Z sat between her legs, biting her lip and looking up at Nicole. "Did you want to choose something from the drawer?" 

Nicole immediately shook her head, sitting up to grab the back of Z's neck and pull her into a kiss. "Just you." Her voice was ragged and needy, and her muscles clenched in anticipation as Z's eyes darkened and she reached between Nicole's legs. 

She started off tentative, kissing Nicole as she fingered her so all the attention wasn't on what her hand was doing. Nicole tried her best to kiss back, being rather thoroughly distracted by the feeling of Z's fingers working inside of her. When she started to moan a little louder, Z gained confidence and broke the kiss, sliding down her body to add her tongue where her fingers were. 

Nicole all but collapsed onto the pillows, biting down on her index finger and trying to stop her body from squirming all over the place. The pleasure was overwhelming her as Z tried to mimic the actions she'd been on the receiving end of earlier, adding in a flick of her tongue over Nicole's clitoris that had her gasping Z's name in amongst curse words. 

Z reached her hand up, caressing one of Nicole's breasts as her mouth and other hand continued to torture her. It was too much stimulation, and Nicole's back arched off the bed as her eyes screwed shut and she felt her orgasm tingle through her whole body. She desperately tapped Z's head to get her to stop, not able to take another second of it. 

Z laid down beside her, taking Nicole's hand in hers and watching as it trembled lightly. "Are you okay?" She asked with a mixture of concern and amusement. 

Nicole nodded silently, unable to form any words. She gripped Z's hand with her own and kissed her lightly with closed lips. They laid facing each other on the bed with their noses touching, their breaths mingling as they slowly evened back out.  
  


**Please proceed to chapter 31.**


	31. Chapter 31

Nicole and Z walked up the path to the front door. Nicole couldn't tell if Z felt as overwhelmed as she did, because Z had her game face on. There was no reading emotions when that happened.

Nicole knocked on the door, hearing it reverberate through the house. She gripped Z's hand tightly for reassurance, and Z squeezed back, her face still not changing.

The door swung open and a cheery woman ushered them into the house. "Oh, hello, please do come in." The realtor closed the door behind them and grinned with an eerily rehearsed smile. "I know everyone always says this, but I think this really is the house for you." She took a few steps into the foyer and turned to face them, holding her arms wide like she was presenting them with their dream come true.

As phony as the lady seemed, the house really was stunning, and Nicole wasn't as good as Z at hiding her reaction. She stared around in awe at the high ceilings and the dark wood that made up the floors and railings. Z caught the look of excitement in her eye, and so did the realtor. "You know, it's an older house, but that only means it has character, and was built to last." She sounded like she was gaining momentum to launch into some long-winded speech, and Z quickly cut her off.

"Would you mind if we showed ourselves around?" Her tone was only barely polite, and left no room for argument.

The woman's eyes widened, and she nodded enthusiastically, going straight to the door. "I'll be outside. Take your time." She went through the door but stopped it from closing after her at the last second, calling back, "Make sure to check out the master en-suite though!" The door slammed shut and the silence of the house engulfed them.

Nicole turned excitedly to Z. "This place. I think this is it." She was trying to not jump up and down.

"Firstly, we've only seen the entrance way. Secondly, I love that you're excited, but you can't let those vultures know it. They'll never accept our low offer if they know how badly we want it."

Nicole pressed her lips together and nodded. "You're right. We need to see the rest!" She pulled Z farther into the house, loving it more with each new room they entered. It was almost certainly larger than they needed, but she liked the idea of being able to have friends come and stay whenever they wanted.

The master bedroom was massive, and her eyes lingered on the bed they'd placed in the room to show it, but the realtor's words came back to her, and she decided to check out the bathroom. 

She walked in first, knowing Z would come eventually. The tiles were black with flecks of gold running through, giving a dark and sensual feel to the whole room. The focal point was really the bathtub though. She immediately went over and climbed into it, sad that it was dry and she had her clothes on. Even stretched out she couldn't touch the far walls of it with her toes.

Z entered the bathroom, looking at her in amusement. "That is stupidly large."

Nicole nodded happily, reaching her hand in Z's direction to invite her to join. "Imagine all the water we could waste."

Z stepped into the tub, sitting in the middle so she could reach Nicole's ankles and run her thumb over the skin there. "You really like this place?"

Nicole knew the answer to that was obvious. "The question is, do you like it?" Nicole countered instead.

Z glanced around the room and Nicole wondered what possible future she was imagining for the two of them. "I love it. I think it's perfect."

Nicole squeaked and dove forward to throw her arms around Z's neck. "We are going to have so much sex in this tub once we own it." She laughed happily against Z's neck.

Z pulled back, holding Nicole's face in her hands. "I love you."

Nicole's heart still raced at hearing her say that. "I love you too. Now, let's go con that lady into selling us this house."

Z grinned, standing up and helping Nicole to her feet. "That's my girl."

**End.**

**Thank you so much for reading. This is one of many endings, so it would be great if you could leave a comment saying you got this one! If you want to try for a different one, g** **o back to chapter 1 to start again.**


	32. Chapter 32

"Guys, can you please behave?" Even as the words left Brendon's mouth, he knew it was the wrong thing to say.

" _You_ , want US to behave?" Spencer asked incredulously. "Has this guy made you an entirely different person?" Brendon blushed and looked at his feet as the others laughed with Spencer.

Ryan's hand landed reassuringly on his shoulder. "Don't be so nervous. Everyone's going to love him just as much as you do." Brendon looked up into Ryan's eyes, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Thanks, Ry." The past few weeks had passed in a blur. He felt like he hadn't seen his friends in ages, between having to repair his friendship with Ryan that had been more than awkward after they'd slept together, and spending as much time as possible with Dallon.

Apart from Ryan and Nicole, the others hadn't met him yet, and Brendon had an irrational fear that it would all go terribly wrong.

The buzzer of Spencer and Jon's apartment sounded, and Brendon bounded to his feet to buzz him in. He'd insisted on Dallon coming slightly later, giving himself time to get the others a little tipsy with drinking games, and give them a lecture about not scaring off his new boyfriend.

He waited by the door for the sound of Dallon's footsteps coming down the hallway, and yanked the door open before he got a chance to knock. "Hey," he greeted, feeling like he hadn't seen him in days rather than the few hours it had actually been. He was already more calm, wrapping his arms around Dallon's neck and hugging him close, even though he could hear how the conversations behind him had gone silent as Dallon appeared.

Brendon pulled him through the door, closing it behind them and turning to see the expressions on his friend's faces. Everyone looked tentatively friendly, though he could see where Ryan's was trying to hide a bit of discomfort. "So, this is Dallon." He stepped to the side and Dallon did a little half wave. "This is Spencer, Jon, Mike, and Dan."

Jon was the first to get up, putting a beer in Dallon's hand and clapping him on the back. "Welcome, it was about time we got to meet you." Brendon beamed at Jon, feeling grateful to his friend for being welcoming.

"Come sit," Dan called from his spot on the floor. They'd been playing a card game, and Ryan was gathering the cards up to reshuffle and deal a new hand. Dallon somehow folded his legs enough to sit down in the circle and Brendon took the spot next to him, their knees touching.

They spent the next few hours drinking and laughing. Dallon managed to fit into the group pretty easily, though he was more quiet and reserved in the larger group. At some point they'd put on music, and Z had finally shown up. She danced with Nicole, spinning her in circles as they laughed together. Brendon caught himself looking at them frequently, just seeing how happy and in love they were made his heart seize up. He noticed Ryan staring at them a lot too, and wondered if he was equally as happy that Z found someone who was perfect for her.

Spencer and Jon were managing to keep their hands mostly to themselves, and he was beyond impressed. They still locked eyes every now and then in a way that made Brendon blush, but they seemed to be trying to tone it down as he'd asked.

Dallon was in the kitchen having a heated discussion with Dan about some band they'd both seen live, and Brendon lost interest, having no idea what they were talking about. He caught a glimpse of Ryan's silhouette out on the balcony and decided to see what he was up to.

He slid the glass door shut behind him as he stepped out, the sounds of the party being silenced almost completely. Ryan was leaning on the railing, a joint dangling from his fingers. "And you didn't even offer to share." Brendon shook his head in mock disappointment.

Ryan smirked sideways at him and offered it up. Brendon took a long drag, holding the smoke in his mouth before watching as it danced in the wind on his exhale. The concrete of the balcony was colder than the air, and his socks weren't doing much to protect him from it.

"I didn't really have enough for the whole class." Ryan's voice startled him as he turned to gaze back in at the party. He hadn't really expected an answer, and now he wasn't sure what to say. He took a second hit and passed it back, Ryan's fingers brushing lightly over his own as he took it.

He could see Ryan watching him out of the corner of his eye, but couldn't bring himself to look back. He hadn't fully apologized for what had happened, but it almost felt too late now. Was moving on and pretending it never happened the better option?

Ryan sighed deeply, the end of the joint dropping from his fingers and drifting down to the street below. "You know, I keep telling myself this doesn't have to be awkward."

Brendon couldn't help sighing in response. Seems they were going to talk about it. "But it kind of is."

Ryan laughed a little desperately. "It really is. That's fine though. It'll pass."

Brendon nodded, he'd been telling himself that same thing. "I don't want to lose you as a friend. Nothing would be worth that." He could feel his face get warmer at the admission.

Ryan looked at him fully for the first time since he'd entered the balcony. "Hey, that's never going to happen. I'm glad you found love, and I will learn to be happy about it too."

Brendon made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat, and Ryan furrowed his brows. "You keep saying that."

Ryan looked hurt. "What do you mean? I'm not trying to guilt trip you, I'm just being honest about my feelings. They're not just going to disappear over night."

"No no no," Brendon grabbed Ryan's arm as he moved to leave. "That's not what I meant." His voice dropped to a whisper as he realized what he was about to admit. "You keep saying I love him."

Ryan's whole body froze, and he seemed to stop breathing. A soft, "Oh," was all he managed in response. Brendon suddenly realized how close they were standing when he felt Ryan's warm breath on his cheek. "Well, it's still soon. That doesn't mean you won't love him." Ryan's words came out jerky and stuttered.

Brendon swallowed, his mind blank and light from the weed. He bit his lip, his gaze unfocused on Ryan's mouth. Now that he'd started the honesty, he found he couldn't stop. "I like him. I like sleeping with him, but I don't think-"

The door unlatched and they stepped back, turning to see Mike in the doorway. "Hey, we're going to play beer pong if you guys wanna join?" Mike grinned and went back inside, leaving the door open.

Brendon looked away from the door to Ryan where he was leaning back on the railing, intently looking anywhere but at him. Brendon felt something in his heart sink as he left to go back inside. He didn't close the door behind him, but he didn't hear Ryan following him either.

Dallon eagerly waved him over to the table where they'd set up the game. "I already called dibs on you being my partner." Dallon grinned and bumped their hips together. Brendon smiled back, not fully focused on the game as his eyes wandered to Ryan, now talking to Spencer across the room.

Ryan was frowning and shaking his head, but Brendon couldn't make out any of what they were saying over the music and talk around him.

Dallon sunk a shot and raised his arms in celebration. "Suck on that!" He heckled Dan and Mike as they decided which of them had to drink the cup's contents.

"So unfair, your arms reach halfway across the table!" Mike teased before taking the drink.

"Sounds like an excuse a loser would make," Dallon shot back, smirking playfully. Brendon knew he should be feeling some surge of joy that they were all bonding so quickly, but his mind was wholly focused on Ryan as he tied his shoes and started to leave.

Brendon muttered something about being right back to Dallon and went after him. Ryan was halfway down the hallway when Brendon called his name and jogged to catch up.

"You're leaving?" Brendon asked. Ryan shoved his hands in his pockets, focusing his gaze somewhere over Brendon's shoulder.

"I just-" he started, cutting himself off to shake his head. "I don't know what I'm supposed to feel around you. You keep pulling me in and then shutting me down."

Brendon's shoulders sagged with guilt. He knew Ryan's words were true. "I'm not doing it on purpose." He tried to catch Ryan's eye, emphasizing that he was being truthful. "I just keep making the wrong choices. And now I'm in this thing, and I'm not sure it's what I really want."

Ryan looked at him, seeming like it was causing him pain to do so. "How about you let me know when you figure it out." He turned and left without another word and Brendon stood in the hallway, staring after him.

Brendon reluctantly went back to the party, seeing that Jon had taken his place in the beer pong game. Brendon plopped down on the couch, massaging his temples. Spencer sat down next to him, looking pensive. Brendon waited for him to say something, but it didn't happen.

"What?" he finally prompted, getting annoyed by the way Spencer was studying him.

"I'm thinking you fucked up." Brendon narrowed his eyes, not sure how much Spencer knew about his situation. "He's not going to forgive you."

Brendon couldn't help but know that Spencer was right.

**Brendon broke up with Dallon, but Ryan couldn't trust him again.** **To go back to your previous choice, go to chapter 23.**

**To restart the story, go to chapter 1.**


	33. Chapter 33

Brendon opened the door to the apartment, throwing his keys down on the table by the door. Dallon's keys were already laying there so he called into the apartment, "Hey, babe."

Dallon all but fell out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind himself and leaning heavily against it. His hair was all disheveled and he was breathing heavily. "Hey," he said, smiling tightly.

"Uhh, what's up?" Brendon looked curiously at him.

"Oh, nothing much." Dallon pushed off the door, going over to meet Brendon and greeting him with a kiss. Dallon's kisses still made his heart race, and a smile engulfed his face.

"Gonna tell me what you're hiding in the bedroom?" Brendon asked, managing to not be totally distracted by the kiss.

Dallon grinned and shook his head, his bangs falling in his eyes. Brendon made a mental note to cut his hair later. "I know it's Ryan's birthday, and the present is mostly for him, but why not surprise you as well?"

Brendon laughed through his nose, shaking his head incredulously. "Oh, come on! You were with me when I got Ryan's gift. That's straight up unfair." He batted his eyelashes and bit his lip seductively. "Please tell me?"

Dallon's eyes darkened as he looked at Brendon, his tongue darting out to wet his bottom lip. "Not a chance." Brendon huffed and marched over to the couch, throwing himself down on it. He checked his watch, noting Ryan would be home from work any minute so he at least wouldn't have to wait long.

The impulse to go rip the bedroom door open and see what was on the other side was helpfully contained by Dallon sitting down on top of him. "Hey, what the hell?" Brendon squirmed and tried to escape.

"I know you were tempted to go look. I'm merely saving you from your own curiosity."

Brendon went limp and stopped struggling. "Well, you got me there."

The sound of keys in the door caused them to turn. Ryan came through the door, seeing Dallon sitting on top of Brendon and grinning. "Hello," he greeted.

"Happy birthday!" Brendon and Dallon sing songed in unison.

"Let's do presents inmediately. Dallon's first," Brendon announced, biting the only part of Dallon he could reach with his mouth.

Dallon swatted at him and jumped up, holding his wounded shoulder and narrowing his eyes at Brendon. "Fine, I'm first apparently." Ryan finished kicking his shoes off, going over to greet Dallon with a kiss before pulling Brendon to his feet and doing the same.

They followed Dallon to the bedroom door where he turned around dramatically, rubbing his hands together. "Okay, I don't know what to preface this with. It's pretty self-explanatory. Just uh- I love you. Happy birthday." His eyes sparkled in the hall light as he opened the door. A scrambling sound came from the bedroom as a puppy ran barreling out and attacked each of their legs.

Ryan dropped to his knees, scratching the puppy's ears and grinning wider than Brendon had ever seen. He looked up at Dallon, his eyes wide. "You got us a dog?"

Brendon cursed under his breath. "I should have gone first." Dallon laughed and wrapped his arm around Brendon as they watched Ryan play with the dog in complete happiness. "Oh god," Brendon looked at Dallon with mock terror on his face, "this means we're going to have to let Ryan name the poor thing." Dallon grimaced as they both looked back at Ryan.

He smiled wickedly. "I'll put a lot of thought into it. Don't worry."

"Okay, Brendon. Your turn." Dallon nudged him and he went over to his bag in the corner to pull out a small, wrapped package. Ryan scooped the dog into his arms and held her like a baby and he waited for Brendon to give him his other present.

Ryan reluctantly passed the puppy to Dallon so he could take the other gift, pecking Brendon on the cheek as he did so. "Thank you. Neither of you had to get me anything, though." Brendon and Dallon silently ignored him, knowing there was no way that would ever happen.

He tore the wrapping off slowly, pulling mostly at the tape and not damaging the paper. When he uncovered the box inside and opened it up, his eyes started to water and his mouth screwed up with the effort of trying not to cry.

Brendon stepped closer, pulling the bracelet out and putting it on Ryan's wrist as Ryan admired it, running his finger over the engraving on the outside of the metal. It had their names all written out, and the date of the first day they were all together.

Brendon took Ryan's hand in his, swallowing the lump in his throat to give the speech he'd prepared. "I knew that day that my world had been turned upside down. Walking away from you was so stupid, but I ended up being glad I did it, because the three of us together is exactly what was needed. I wish we could have all met at that club on your 21st, but we're here together now for your twenty second birthday. I love you both so much, and I don't want you to have to imagine your life without either of us."

Ryan wiped at his cheek as a tear tried to escape down it. "I love you too." He pulled Brendon into a hug, squeezing him tight.

Ryan opened one of his arms, and Dallon and the puppy came to join the embrace. "I love our weird little family," Dallon mumbled, pressing his face into the top of Ryan's hair.

"There's not going to be a surprise party or anything, right?" Ryan asked, a little hesitantly.

Brendon laughed brightly. "No, I think it can just be us for tonight." Ryan smiled gratefully, taking the dog back.

Brendon pat the dog on the head, and couldn't help but feel that great things always happened on Ryan's birthday.  
  


**End.**

**Thank you so much for reading. This is one of many endings, so it would be great if you could leave a comment saying you got this one! If you want to try for a different one, g** **o back to chapter 1 to start again.**


	34. Chapter 34

Nicole took a step forward, remaining in the doorway and holding onto the frame with one hand, and the door with the other. She rocked onto the balls of her feet. "Could I have your number?"

Z had paused a couple paces away, and only turned her body to partially face her. "Oh, I don't have a phone. Maybe I'll see you around though?" Nicole nodded robotically. "Thanks again." Z raised her hand in a gesture of goodbye, and left down the hallway.

**Nicole never saw Z again.** **To go back to your previous choice, go to chapter 20.**

**To restart the story, go to chapter 1.**


	35. Chapter 35

"Okay, fine. Total honesty, yeah?" Z levelled her gaze and smiled, every part of her looking ready for a challenge. "What was the worst part of your childhood?"

If they hadn't been sitting so close, starting openly at each other's faces, Nicole never would have caught the micro expression that flickered over her features. She instantly knew there was some sort of dark story there.

Z hid her reaction with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Not pulling any punches." Nicole waited silently for her answer, wondering if she'd gone too personal with the first question. "Well, there's no light way to bring up both my parents being dead, so I guess I'll just put it out there."

Nicole raised her eyebrows, not having a clue how to respond. Should she apologize? She felt like she should apologize.

"It's fine," Z cut in before she'd managed to say anything. "Honestly, I was pretty young, and I barely remember them. I had a happy childhood otherwise. My family friend that I mentioned, Dan, he raised me. He ended up being more like a weird uncle than anything." Nicole nodded, trying and failing to picture how her life would have gone without her parents in it.

"Is it your turn to ask me a question now?" Nicole hoped her attempt to change the subject was delicate enough to succeed.

Z smirked and nodded. "It's only fair." The song ended and she gestured for Nicole to pick the next one, tapping the tip of her fingernail against her chin as she thought up a question.

Nicole flipped though the songs, the satisfying clunk of the sheets falling into place as she turned the page bringing a smile to her face. She attempted to distract herself from the way Z's eyes were studying her, but she felt it so intensely that it couldn't be ignored.

One of the songs caught her eye and she fished a quarter out of her wallet, glad she'd done laundry earlier so she actually had change. _Don't Stop Believing_ by Journey came on, and Z rolled her eyes affectionately. "Hey, just because it's over played doesn't mean it's not amazing."

Z put her hands up in mock surrender. "You're right. A true classic." She snorted, and Nicole couldn't help grinning. "Okay, my question is, what do you believe in? Spiritually, religiously, whatever it may be."

Nicole folded her hands on the table in an attempt to keep herself from ripping at her cuticles as she did when she was on edge. "Well, I was raised strict Catholic." Z nodded, knowing that wasn't the end of the story. "I dunno, all those times sitting there in church on Sundays, I just realized at some point that what they were saying didn't make sense to me." She focused on her hands so she wouldn't have to over analyze the look on Z's face as she listened.

"They talked about God being all good, and all loving, and in the same breath denounced all the ways you shouldn't live your life or you'd go to hell. It was just all very contradictory and confusing, and knowing I was bi from a very young age, I never felt accepted or safe there."

"So what do you believe now?" Z leaned her elbows on the table, and her feet bumped against Nicole's as she shifted positions.

"I believe in something more than what's here. Definitely that our spirits are eternal, and that they go somewhere when we die." She shrugged. "I guess I've more accepted that no one really knows for sure what's going on, and while that means those homophobic religious people could be correct, they might also not be. So I just live my life in a way that feels true to me." The song came to its final chorus as she finished speaking, finally looking up to see Z's reaction.

While the lyrics felt like they were mocking her, Z's expression looked like understanding. Nicole smiled at her, letting out the breath she'd been holding.

The waitress brought their food over, and they talked about lighter topics for the rest of the meal, taking turns picking songs and laughing about some of the awful ones that were in the jukebox.

The staff were wiping down the tables and shutting the appliances off by the time Nicole realized how long they'd spent there. It had been over an hour since they'd finished eating, but the time had flown by in waves of laughter at Z's ridiculous stories. She hadn't felt like she clicked with someone this immediately, possibly in her entire life.

After a short debate in which Z tried to insist she pay for them, they ended up splitting the bill. Nicole tipped the waitress generously as always, but when she glimpsed how much Z had tipped the woman, she had to do a double take to make sure she'd read the number on the receipt correctly. 

Z caught her wide-eyed stare and blushed. "She deserved it," Z said before quickly leaving the diner, stopping only once she reached the curb to wait for Nicole. "I had a really nice time with you." Z balanced precariously on the curb, hanging her heels down over it and using her arms to stay upright. Even though there were no cars currently on the road, it made Nicole worried for her. 

**Choose your path:**

**To pull Z back to the sidewalk, go to chapter 39.**

**To say you had a good time too and let her stay where she is, go to chapter 40.**


	36. Chapter 36

"Okay, fine. I want to hear about everyone you've ever dated." Z's face scrunched up, making Nicole laugh.

"I guess I can do that." Z tapped the table with her fingernails.

"Don't strain yourself," Nicole teased.

"I mean, it's just- What do you constitute as dating?"

Nicole shrugged. "Define it however you want to. Only mention the ones who seem important looking back?"

A flicker of emotion passed over Z's face too quickly for Nicole to decipher what it meant. "Well, my first kiss was when I was twelve. We were sitting on a grassy hill at our school. He transferred away shortly after and I never saw him again."

Nicole nodded along to the story. She hadn't expected her to go all the way back to the beginning. She wasn't sure she could even remember who her own first kiss had been.

"After that, I had a few one time hook ups. The first time I fully had sex was in there somewhere. Never really saw any of those guys again either. I was that stereotype of the rebellious girl going for douche bags." Nicole nodded in understanding. She'd definitely had those phases. As she looked at Z across the table, she wasn't sure if she was in one of them right now.

Z fell silent, and it took Nicole quite a few seconds to realize she was done speaking. "Oh, that's... it?" She felt like an asshole the second the words left her lips. "Not that it's-" She didn't know how to salvage that sentence, and settled for biting her tongue and looking apologetic.

Z grinned and pretended to glare at her. "Oh, I'm sorry. I haven't gotten around enough for your liking?" Nicole relaxed ever so slightly when she saw that Z hadn't taken it seriously. 

"No, it's not that at all." Nicole felt indebted to the waitress bringing their food at that exact moment, and she hoped they could just let the topic drop. Z dug into the stack of pancakes she'd ordered, looking up at Nicole expectantly as she popped small pieces into her mouth.

"What is it then?" Z prompted as she chewed. Nicole's shoulders sagged. She put her cutlery down on her plate, making sure her words came out the way she intended them.

"You just give the impression of being someone who goes for exactly what they want. You're very transparent with your desires, and you're not afraid to act on them. In theory, that would most likely point to a higher number of past partners." It sounded scientific and calculating to her own ears, but it was more tactful than what she'd wanted to say. She wanted to say that Z was fucking hot.

Z finished chewing the food in her mouth and nodded, her eyes focused on her glass of iced tea. "Your statements are accurate, but you're extrapolating a conclusion that doesn't follow." Her eyes raised to meet Nicole's. "I go after what I want, but I'm very picky, and have rarely been drawn to someone enough to act on it." Nicole felt her cheeks heat up under Z's gaze. 

She looked down at her plate, suddenly having no appetite as her stomach was tied in knots. "I guess I'm honoured." Her face got impossibly hotter as she heard her own lame words aloud. Z's answering laugh was melodic, and brought a smile to both of their faces. They locked eyes across the table, and Nicole could feel her heart pounding in her throat as she tried to sustain the eye contact.

They waved down the waitress and paid without eating much more. Nicole followed her out onto the sidewalk, the night now fully fallen as Nicole pulled her jacket tighter around herself. The wind was just cold enough to cut through her layers and make being outside uncomfortable. Z stood facing her, her jacket hanging open and looking like she wasn't cold at all.

Nicole took a step closer, not really meaning to, but she just looked so warm. Z's cheeks were a little flushed from the wind, and her hair whipped around her face wildly. They hadn't said anything since exiting the restaurant, and Nicole realized she was waiting to see if Z would kiss her again. It seemed Z was waiting for the same thing.

**Choose your path:**

**To kiss Z, go to chapter 42.**

**To wait for her to make a move, go to chapter 43.**


	37. Chapter 37

Brendon lowered his eyes to Dallon's chin, biting his lip as he considered his words. "How about we keep it to just us this time?"

Dallon's smile grew, "Already thinking about future times?" He pressed his crotch forward against Brendon, making him feel breathless and weightless all at once.

"Fuck, yes." Brendon re-locked their lips as Dallon carried him to the bed, Brendon's legs still wrapped around his waist with his ankles locked to hold him up. Brendon allowed himself to be dropped on the bed, catching him weight on his elbows as he bounced on the mattress. Dallon climbed over him, one knee on each side of Brendon's hips as he pulled his own shirt off over his head. Brendon unconsciously licked his lips as he saw Dallon's exposed chest, and it took every ounce of his willpower to not reach out and caress it.

Dallon helped Brendon pull his shirt off before laying down on top of him. Brendon's hand were running up and down Dallon's back, feeling as it shifted beneath his fingers when Dallon rolled his hips down to meet Brendon's. He was already gasping and panting when Dallon's hand closed over his wrists, pinning them above his head. Brendon arched his back off the bed, his eyes boring into Dallon's with silent demands. They didn't seem to be enough for Dallon.

"Tell me what you want." Dallon's voice came deep and demanding, all movement stopped while he waited for Brendon's answer. Their heavy breathing was the only audible sound in the otherwise silent apartment.

Brendon had to take a second to accept that he was really going to say these words to a near stranger. Yeah, he really was. He levelled his gaze, wetting his lips with a tongue that suddenly felt very dry. "I want you to fuck me." He could feel the blush on his face, but he had never been more aroused in his life and was finding it difficult to be truly embarrassed.

Dallon's eyes widened before he slowly nodded. He lowered his head slowly towards Brendon's, hovering just close enough so his lips brushed over Brendon's lips as he said, "That can be arranged." Brendon tried to push his head forward to meet Dallon's kiss, but Dallon pulled back too quickly, still holding his hands pinned so he couldn't follow. Brendon whined in the back of his throat as Dallon grazed his teeth over Brendon's chest. The pace had gone from frantic to teasingly slow, and Brendon felt like he was going to lose his mind if something didn't come into contact with his dick in the next thirty seconds.

Dallon got to the waistband of his pants, deftly flicking the button open and pulling them down with his underwear all at once. Brendon's head fell back onto the bed as Dallon licked over the head of his cock. His throat felt raw from moaning and they'd barely even started. He tangled his fingers in Dallon's hair, pulling it less gently when he felt a finger press against his entrance.

Dallon's long digit quickly found his prostate, and he unwillingly bucked his hips up off the bed into Dallon's throat. Dallon laughed, the vibrations making Brendon's whole body twitch, as he places his forearm across Brendon's abdomen to keep him still. His fingers twisted inside of him, and Brendon's desperate voice sounded out in the apartment.

"Dallon, fuck, your fingers," he was worried he wouldn't last long if he kept this up much longer. His orgasm started building, his hands and toes curling into the bed sheets. Dallon hummed in response, a slight smile visible on the corners of his lips as Brendon's cock appeared and disappeared from between them. Brendon stared at it, hypnotized, before his eyes slid shut and he barely had enough time to rush out a warning before he was coming down Dallon's throat.

He laid there, gasping for air as Dallon pulled off and licked the excess spit and semen off of Brendon. It wasn't helping him get his breath back under control.

Dallon appeared back on top of him, connecting their lips and licking into Brendon's mouth as Brendon clutched the back of his head and held him close. "Fuck," seemed to be the only word in Brendon's vocabulary at that moment.

"Soon enough." Dallon traced his finger down Brendon's cheek and got off the bed to pull condoms and lube out of his sock drawer. Brendon scrambled off the bed after him, attacking his belt and pulling it free of his pants before attempting to pull the jeans down without undoing them.

Dallon swatted his hands away, taking the few seconds to undo them properly and slide them off before pushing Brendon back towards the bed with a light hand on his chest. Brendon's legs hit the mattress and he sat, now at eye level with Dallon's crotch. He bit his cheek, eyes unwavering as Dallon rolled the condom on and stroked over it with a hand coated in lube.

Brendon had to grip the edge of the bed to steady himself. He raised his eyes to Dallon's face, feeling the dramatic height difference from his seated position up Dallon's lanky form. "How do you want me?"

Dallon's eyes seemed to darken as he took Brendon's jaw in one hand, his other still stroking himself. When he answered, his voice was lower than before. "I want you to ride me."

Brendon nodded eagerly, moving to the side so Dallon could lay down on the bed. Brendon swung a leg over, lining their hips up and he leaned down to kiss Dallon. He savoured the taste of Dallon's mouth, and the grip he had on Brendon's ass as he lowered down, slowly taking all of Dallon inside him. He gasped in shock at the feeling, going slowly as the stretch of it burned all up his lower back.

Dallon bit Brendon's lip, his hips making tiny shallow thrusts as he tried to restrain until Brendon was comfortable. He tucked a piece of hair behind Brendon's ear. "Are you okay?" Brendon opened his eyes and tried to keep his face neutral.

"I'm fine." He could hear the slight crack in his voice.

Dallon looked worried and stroked soothingly down Brendon's back. "Take your time." Brendon nodded, moving slowly and feeling the pain ease. He lifted off most of the way before slamming back down, causing both of them to swear.

Brendon sat up, bracing his hands on Dallon's shoulders and starting to move his hips in a steady rhythm. His muscles were drained from the first orgasm, and his thighs trembled lightly with the exertion. He was already fully hard again, his nerve endings feeling heightened as the tip of Dallon's cock brushed past his prostate on each downward movement.

Dallon flipped them over, lifting one of Brendon's legs up to rest over his shoulder and kissing him breathlessly. Their pants of air tangled in the space between their mouths as they stared at each other. Brendon felt an unspoken connection between them as Dallon wrapped his fingers around Brendon's dick and helped them to finish at the same time. Brendon spilled from inside of Dallon's fist, feeling empty and exhausted as Dallon collapsed to the bed beside him. He removed the condom and pulled the blanket up over them.

Brendon had a brief moment to wonder if he was expected to get up and leave immediately before Dallon was pulling him closer and wrapping his limbs around him. His head tucked under Dallon's chin, and he wrapped his arm around Dallon's torso to touch the slightly damp skin on his lower back. He felt on the verge of sleep when Dallon's mumbled words on top of his head caught his attention. "Hmm?" He mumbled sleepily.

"I said, I'm glad I met you." Brendon shifted back slightly to look up at him.

He smiled softly. "Me too." He nuzzled back in and quickly fell asleep.

\-----------

Brendon awoke on his stomach, the light from the streetlight outside the window feeling disorienting. It felt like the middle of the night, but his bedroom didn't have streetlights in those spots, and it took him a few moments to figure out where he was. For some reason, it was the streetlights that clued him in, and not the warm mouth that was sucking on his lower back.

He twisted around to see the top of Dallon's head just poking out from beneath the covers. "Oh, hello there," Brendon smirked.

Dallon looked up, shaking the hair out of his eyes and grinning sheepishly. "Sorry, your ass is just literal perfection." He shrugged in a way that made it seem inevitable that Brendon should be awoken in that way.

Brendon laughed and pushed his butt in the air to wave it in Dallon's face. "What can I say? I was blessed."

Dallon bit the flesh of one butt cheek, causing Brendon to squirm and attempt to bat him away. Dallon released him and licked over the mark soothingly. "That's not fair! Don't damage the goods," Brendon joked, unable to keep a straight face as he rolled over and tried to pull Dallon up to kiss him. "You do know it's the middle of the night, right?" Brendon's voice was laced with a yawn to illustrate his point even clearer.

Dallon rested on his elbow next to Brendon's head, looking down at him. He bit his lip as he contemplated his words. "I wasn't sure if tonight would be all I'd get of you, and I kind of wanted to make the most of it." His lip turned white as he bit it harder, his eyes darting between the two of Brendon's to catch any glimpse of what he was feeling.

Brendon's instinct was to laugh, but he didn't want to be misinterpreted. He wouldn't have been laughing at Dallon's confession, just at how ridiculous the notion was that he wouldn't want to do that again. Instead he tried to just tell him, so it would be understood. "Go to sleep. This won't be the only night." He touched the stubble on Dallon's jaw, feeling its coarse texture under his finger tips as he leaned up the little that was required to reach Dallon's lips. They were still damp from where he'd been biting them, and Brendon ran his tongue along the bottom one, trying to sooth it as Dallon had done with the other bite. "Come here." Brendon rolled over, curling Dallon's arms around him like a blanket and pushing back so their bodies were pressed together.

Dallon exhaled a breath that was part laugh and part relief. They wove their fingers together, and Brendon counted their shared breaths until he fell back asleep.

**Please proceed to chapter 38.**


	38. Chapter 38

Brendon woke up, feeling around the bed with his eyes shut and failing to find another body there. He cracked his eyes open, looking around the empty room and seeing the bedroom door had been left open. 

He crawled out of bed, dragging the blanket with him as he went out to explore Dallon's apartment. The living room was also empty, but he could hear faint music and noise coming from behind one of the doors. He hesitated in front of it, not sure if it was Dallon, or possibly a roommate he didn't know about. 

Brendon knocked on the door, making sure to do it loud enough so that he could be heard by whoever was inside. "Come in," was shouted from the other side, and he was pretty confident it was Dallon's voice. He twisted the handle and froze in his steps as he took in the room he'd just walked into. 

Dallon was in the middle of the floor, pumping out some push ups, sweat gathering on his neck and back. Brendon barely paid him any attention though, as he couldn't tear his eyes off the walls which were covered in hooks holding sex toys and other paraphernalia. 

He didn't know what he could possibly say about that. Walking into Dallon's apparent sex dungeon with no warning left him speechless, and the fact that he was only dressed in a blanket was increasing the discomfort that was crawling up his spine.

"Hey, good morning," Dallon greeted, a little short of breath as he finished a few more push ups and rested on his knees. 

"Uhh, this is..." Brendon couldn't think up a single adjective apart from _terrifying._ He smiled tightly at Dallon and pointed back over his shoulder. "I think I'm going to go."

Dallon looked disappointed but not surprised as Brendon darted back to the bedroom and started throwing his clothes back on. 

"I know it's a lot. We'd never do anything you're not comfortable with." Brendon twisted around to see Dallon leaning against the door frame of the bed room. 

He exhaled deeply before speaking. "It's not that. Well, it's not _just_ that. We only just met, and I slept here, and you have a sex dungeon!" His voice raised in pitch, cracking slightly on the last word. 

Dallon flinched almost imperceptibly. "I understand." He didn't move, or say anything more as Brendon gathered the rest of his things and went to leave. He stopped with his hand on the door knob, forcing himself to turn around and say something more to the man. Leaving it like that didn't feel acceptable. 

"I had a really great time with you. Maybe under different circumstances I wouldn't feel like this, but I just don't think I can see a future with us." 

Dallon laughed, and it surprised Brendon that he sounded amused, and not hurt. "For the record, I wasn't really looking for someone to build a future with." Brendon furrowed his brow, watching as Dallon grabbed the notepad on the table and scribbled his number down.

"If you ever want a hook up, I'm game." Dallon put the paper in his hand, staring down at him as his fingers closed around the paper. Brendon felt himself nod, not fully in control of his actions as he pulled the door open and went off down the hall. He had no reason to think Dallon was watching him walk away, but he got the feeling that was happening nonetheless.

Brendon got down to the street, breathing deeply and holding the scrunched up paper in his hand, now in the shape of a ball from where he'd closed his fist tightly around it. He briefly considered keeping it, just in case he changed his mind down at some point in the future. 

Ultimately, his gut told him what to do, and he threw the paper into a trashcan as he walked past, trying to determine how to get home.

**Brendon never saw Dallon again.** **To go back to your previous choice, go to chapter 14.**

**To restart the story, go to chapter 1.**


	39. Chapter 39

Nicole stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Z's waist, pulling her a few steps backwards away from the street. "Sorry, that was a bit forward. I just really didn't want to see you get hit by a car." Z smirked, not moving to get away from her as Nicole's arms lingered on her hips. 

"You don't have to apologize for being a worry wart. It's kind of cute that you care if I live or die." Nicole laughed, her gaze focused on Z's chin because it was easier than looking into her eyes at such close proximity. Her grip loosened a little as she started to pull away, giving Z room. 

Z's hands grabbed her elbows keeping her in place as she studied Nicole's face. She seemed to be trying to read something in her eyes, and Nicole looked up at her, not sure what she was going to do. Her heart felt like it was in her throat as she bit the inside of her cheek, trying to be patient and not ruin whatever was happening. 

"Can I just-" Z's hand slid up to her cheek, caressing the skin in front of her ear. 

When Z leaned down to kiss her, Nicole's lips parted slightly in shock, so when their skin touched, they fit together perfectly. Nicole's eyes fluttered shut as she wrapped her arms back around Z's hips, pulling them together again. 

They heard a noise coming from the restaurant, and Nicole twisted her neck to see the whole remaining staff standing in the window watching and cheering. "Oh my god," Nicole buried her burning face in the crook of Z's neck as the waitress they'd had gave them a thumbs up and wiped away a tear. "I'm never going to be able to show my face here again."

Z laughed, stroking her hair as she held her close. "If you ask me, it was worth it," Z whispered in her ear.

**Please proceed to chapter 41.**


	40. Chapter 40

"I had a good time, too." Nicole watched her almost lose her balance, waving her arms and managing to stop herself from falling. A car turned onto the road from down the street, and Nicole's throat felt like it was closing up as she watched it get closer, Z not stepping away from her spot on the edge.

"Can I ask you a question?" Z asked suddenly. She seemed intensely serious, and Nicole nodded, not able to fully take her attention off the speeding car that had now almost reached them. "Did you choose to let me stand here because you were afraid to make me move, or because you wanted to see me get hit?"

"What?" The word was barely audible coming out of Nicole's mouth as the sound of the car's horn drown it out. The headlights blinded her, and she had to shield her eyes from the glare as it looked like it was coming straight at her.

"Did you think it was the right choice, or did you just want to see what would happen?" Nicole heard Z's voice as if it was coming from inside her own head, the car horn still ringing in her ears.

Nicole sat bolt upright in bed, the sheets around her soaked in sweat. She placed her hand over her racing heart, unable to calm the gasping breaths that were being ripped from her lungs.

Brendon threw her bedroom door open, looking at her in alarm. "Are you okay? I woke up to you screaming." He took a step into her room, glancing around first to check if the room was empty. She was sitting alone in her bed, and the nightmare was quickly slipping away from her memory. The only lingering feeling was of sheer terror at doing the wrong thing.

"Uhh, yeah. Sorry." Brendon sat on the edge of her bed, taking her clammy hand in his and worrying at his bottom lip. "I just had a nightmare I guess."

Brendon nodded, still looking worried. "Maybe just be more careful next time," he said, getting up and leaving her room. 

She stared after him, confused as to why he'd said that.

**To try maybe not letting Z die, go back to chapter 35.**

**To restart the story, go back to chapter 1.**


	41. Chapter 41

"This is dumb," Nicole muttered, sitting on the front steps of their house. 

Z rolled her eyes, holding out her hand for Nicole to join her at the bottom of the stairs. Nicole pouted, easily caving and getting up to take Z's hand. They stood in the driveway, and Z rested her forehead on Nicole's. She looked up at Z's face, only able to see one eye with how close they were.

"It's not dumb. I'm being romantic, so shut up." Nicole's pout was replace by a soft smile as she raised up on her toes to peck Z on the lips.

"I hope you know there's no one else I'd embarrass myself like this for," Nicole said.

Z laughed. "I feel so special," she said sarcastically. She pulled the envelope from her back pocket, holding it for Nicole to take, but not letting go when she tried to pull on it. "Just, try to have fun? I'll meet you at the end." She released the envelope and kissed Nicole's forehead, going back towards the house. 

"You could just tell me where the end is and we could skip to that part?" Nicole called after Z, not really expecting an answer.

She tore the envelope open, reading the message on the card. 

_I'm writing this days in advance and I already know you're being stubborn._ Nicole frowned, resisting the urge to stick her tongue out at a piece of paper. _Happy anniversary. I love you even when you're no fun. The first step in this journey is the first place we could have met, but didn't._

Nicole instantly knew what the riddle meant. After Nicole and Z had started dating, they'd realized that they'd both been in the same bar that night they met, before each leaving early. Nicole hopped in her car and headed over to the bar. It was the middle of the day, and Nicole hadn't been back since that evening where Brendon dragged everyone there, so she had some difficulty finding the place. Nicole often wondered if her life would have gone differently had she not left early. Would she still have met Z?

The bar wasn't even open yet, but as she gazed in through the glass, someone inside noticed her and came to open the door.

"Hey, sorry-" Nicole immediately started apologizing for disturbing the guy.

"It's fine. You're here for this." The guy held out an envelope, letting her take it and closing the door without another word.

Nicole let out an incredulous laugh. No one but Z could pull something like this off. _See, how hard was that? Now how about the place we actually met?_

Nicole retraced the path she'd walked a year ago, now more than familiar with Z's bar and how to get there. The door was also locked, but she used her key to open the door and climb the stairs up to the rooftop patio. As soon as she stepped out onto the roof she could see the envelope taped to the railing where she'd been standing when Z first approached her. 

She went over and ripped it open, glad that at least this one didn't require awkward interactions with strangers. _I think you can guess where we went after this._ Nicole tipped her head back, knowing the tower wasn't visible from this part of the building, but trying to stall having to climb all the stairs.

She took her time, getting to the top and finding the envelope taped to the end of the telescope, blocking its view. She pulled it off, pausing to look at where the telescope was aimed. She didn't know they could actually see their new house from up there. She recognized the familiar building, and noted that Z's car was no longer in the driveway. She hoped she was almost at the end of the letter chain.

_I saw a lot of things from up here that night. When I told you to come back, I wasn't sure you would, but I certainly hoped. Next, let's go where you took me on our first real date._

Nicole smiled, the memories Z was bringing up still fresh in her mind. She raced down the stairs, headed for the diner. 

Even though it should have been open, all the lights where off when she arrived. The neon sign in the window wasn't lit up, and she hesitated, wondering if she'd misread the clue. She pulled on the door for good measure, and it swung wide open. 

All the lights came on and the staff, along with all her friends, popped out from behind tables and inside booths yelling "Surprise!". She jumped a little bit, laughing and shaking her head.

"What the hell? It's not my birthday." Nicole looked around for Z as Ryan and Brendon approached her.

"You're right; it's mine," Ryan commented, smiling and pulling her into a hug. Brendon bounced excitedly beside them, pulling Nicole into his own hug as soon as she was released from Ryan's.

"Where's Z?" She asked, still not able to spot her amidst all the people.

Z came out from behind the kitchen's swinging doors, holding a milkshake and grinning. "Thanks for indulging me." Z handed her the milkshake and pulled her into a kiss. "You make every day of my life feel like an adventure, so I wanted to recreate some of that magic for you." Nicole sipped the milkshake and smiled at her.

"You're a little ridiculous. You know that, right?" 

Z nodded. "Oh, a hundred percent, but you chose me." 

"I did," Nicole answered, allowing herself to be pulled to the booth they'd sat in on their first date and so many more since then. "And I couldn't have done better."

**End.**

**Thank you so much for reading. This is one of many endings, so it would be great if you could leave a comment saying you got this one! If you want to try for a different ending, go back to chapter 1 to start again.**


	42. Chapter 42

Nicole moved closer to Z, grabbing her coat and pulling their bodies together. She instantly felt the warmth radiating off of the other woman, and she smiled a little at the look Z gave her.

"How are you so warm?" Nicole's voice was quiet, and she wasn't sure if she'd be heard over the traffic and wind.

Z smiled lopsidedly. "I'm always hot." It sounded like a cheesy pickup line, and Nicole couldn't help laughing as she leaned in, pressing her lips against Z's. The temperature difference was startling as Z's lips parted and Nicole licked inside her lips. Z wrapped her arms around Nicole, making it feel like the weather around them had ceased to be important as the feeling returned to her fingers. Nicole slipped her hands under Z's jacket, running them over the smooth skin just above her pants. 

Z made a gasping noise at how cold her hands were before pressing closer and trying to help her get warm. Her nose was still colder than Z's cheek as they brushed, changing the angle of the kiss. Nicole felt like it had been no time at all when they broke apart, only enough to look at each other, but not letting go of the embrace.

"I think this has officially been my favourite first date I've ever had," Z said a little breathlessly. 

Nicole smirked, her confidence kicking in now that she knew where she stood with Z. "It doesn't have to be over yet." 

Z tilted her head to the side, pretending to think deeply about it. "Well we really wouldn't want to ruin it by, say, going back to my place. What if I find out you don't like my favourite type of wine, or that you think Radiohead is the best band in existence? We should probably just end the night here so it stays perfect forever." Nicole laughed, being surprised enough by the comment that she even snorted. Z's playful smile turned softer as she studied Nicole's face. "I can always learn to hate you tomorrow."

Nicole reluctantly let go, realizing she meant what she was saying, even if it was veiled in jokes. "If that's what you want." She grabbed Z's hand and squeezed it before stepping fully out of her proximity. "I'll see you tomorrow then?" She asked hopefully.

Z winked and nodded. "You know where to find me." 

She started to walk away, and Nicole called after her, "For the record, Radiohead is just okay."

Z's laughter drifted back to her, sounding like a promise of things to come.

**Please proceed to chapter 31.**


	43. Chapter 43

Nicole stood her ground, her hands tucked into her armpits to try to keep them from falling off. Their breath was visible as soft white clouds in the air of their exhales.

Z took half a step closer to her and she felt like she was holding her breath, waiting to see what would happen. "I had a great time with you," Z said. She didn't move any closer, and something seemed to change, so that Nicole suddenly knew she wasn't going to. "I have to go, but I'll see you around sometime?" 

Nicole felt cold in a way that was no longer due to the weather. "Oh, yeah. I hope so." Z pulled her into a short hug. She didn't even have time to bring her arms up and hug her back before Z was stepping away, nodding to herself. 

"Have a good night, Nicole." She walked off down the street, and Nicole stared after her even once she'd disappeared around a corner. 

"Shit," Nicole cursed aloud, not sure where she'd gone wrong.

\--------

Months went by and Nicole hadn't managed to see Z again. She'd gone by the bar a few times asking for her, but they always said she wasn't in, and that they would pass on the message. Eventually she took the hint and stopped going.

Brendon had messed things up with the guy he'd been seeing too, so they'd ended up spending a lot of nights together on the couch with a tub of ice cream and some romcoms. 

Spencer and Jon had only gotten more maddeningly in love when they got engaged, and finally one night, Brendon reached another breaking point. 

They'd just got home after another hasty retreat from the Joncer household, having narrowly escaped seeing someone's bare ass. Brendon had ranted for most of the walk home about how sad and lonely they were, Nicole not even having the energy to try and combat those statements. They weren't wrong and both of them knew it.

"We're going to a concert," Brendon announced. Nicole had flopped down on the couch, mostly tuning out his monologue until that point.

"Sure, concerts are fun." Nicole felt like she was humouring him, and he'd probably have forgotten most of this in the morning. Even if he didn't, she wasn't adverse to seeing a show.

"No. I mean we're going right now. Get dressed." Brendon full on kicked his bedroom door open, sending it flying into the wall of his bedroom and most likely denting it.

Nicole struggled into an upright position, feeling confused. "What? I am dressed." Brendon popped his naked torso back into the living room, holding a different shirt in each hand as he chose what to wear. 

"You need to look hot." Nicole made a disgruntled noise at that. "If you're going to find someone to sleep with you, the sweatpants are going to be a major obstacle to overcome." 

Nicole looked down at her pants with a frown as Brendon disappeared back into his room. "Wait. Come out here and tell me in real person words what the fuck is happening." There was a crashing noise in Brendon's room, and he came out with his pants half on, hopping on one leg to pull them up.

"I saw this flyer for some mysterious band that's playing tonight only." He buttoned up his fly and pulled Nicole to her feet, steering her into her bedroom and proceeding to pull clothes out for her to put on. "They don't have a name, and they all wear masks, and everyone in the audience gets a mask to wear too. At first I thought it was kind of creepy, but now I'm thinking it's a great way to find someone to hook up with that's not based on looks!" 

Nicole was trying her best to keep up, but attempting to get dressed and listen to high speed Brendon logic was a little too much. "So because everyone's in masks, you think we'll be less shallow and hook up with ugly people?"

Brendon stopped his constant flow of excited energy for a fraction of a second, frowning at her before throwing her a hairbrush to fix the ponytail she had been wearing all day. "Look, we're both desperate. I think we can admit that." Nicole opened her mouth to argue but Brendon didn't stop long enough to let her. "Let's just give it a chance. It's not like we had other plans."

Nicole slowly brushed through her hair, the pleading look from Brendon slowly wearing down her resolve. "Why do I keep letting you drag me into these things?"

Brendon grinned and bounced on the balls of his feet as he waited for her to finish getting ready. "I don't know, but I'm glad you do."

\---------

It turned out that when Brendon said the bar, he meant the same one he'd taken them to the last night he'd been desperate to get them hook ups. Nicole was pretty sure there was a wise quote somewhere about trying the same thing over and over again being insanity, but she kept it to herself.

Brendon offered to buy their drinks, which was good because she was going to demand it regardless. They'd been given masks at the door when they paid their admission, and Brendon had gotten a matte black one that cut across his face is a stunningly flattering way. Nicole pulled at the side of hers, trying to adjust it into a position where the scratchy stitching didn't bother her. She'd been given a shiny, rainbow-coloured fabric one, and didn't feel like it was doing her any favours.

The bar was even busier than it had been the last time, everyone talking excitedly about who the band was, why they'd hide their faces, and if they'd be any good. 

Brendon returned with their drinks, a huge grin on his face. "Man, masks make you feel invincible. I just got rejected by two different people and I don't even care because they can't recognize me." 

Nicole laughed and shook her head, not quite echoing the sentiment. Something about hiding behind a mask made her feel disconnected. It was harder to read facial expressions on other people, and to communicate her own without words. She sipped at the margarita Brendon had bought her, feeling like she should have eaten something before drinking on an empty stomach.

The lights in the bar dimmed, and someone got up on stage to announce the band. "Alright, thanks for coming out! We didn't know what to expect from the turnout, but it's looking like a full house!" The crowd cheered enthusiastically, and Brendon gestured that they should try to get closer to the stage. She followed close behind as he wove between people, managing to get most of the way up before it got denser and the people were giving them glares for pushing ahead. She stood tight against Brendon, trying to touch the masked people around her as little as possible.

"The band doesn't have a name, so, I guess, put your hands together!" The guy clapped along with the crowd and backed off the stage, allowing the musicians to take their places. It seemed like a basic set up, a girl on keyboard with a mic, lead singer with a guitar, drummer, and a guy on bass. Their masks looked of a higher quality than the ones that had been passed out at the door, and Nicole wondered how much time they'd spent looking for the perfect ones. 

The guy with the guitar stepped up to the mic at the front of the stage as the others took their places, and he shifted on the spot, seeming a little uncomfortable despite the anonymity. "Hey, thanks for coming." His voice sounded like he was intentionally trying to make it deeper, less recognizable. "I know this is a little weird, but I refused to do this under any other circumstances." He looked at the girl on keyboard like she was solely responsible for his suffering, and she grinned back at him. "Uhh, sorry if it sucks." He strummed an opening chord, and the rest of the band kicked in, diving right into an upbeat song that made the crowd start dancing. 

Nicole let Brendon take her hands and force her to dance, happily surprised at how good the music was. They bounced around, ricocheting off the people around them and laughing until their stomachs ached. The band played four or five songs, each one fading into the next without a break. The final one ended with an intense drum solo, before the other instruments joined over top and it descended into chaotic noise.

"Thank you." The singer panted into the mic, seeming exhausted. "We're just going to take a few minutes and be right back, don't forget to tip your bartender." He shot a finger gun in the direction of the bar and the guy gave him a thumbs up in return.

The stereo music kicked back on and the crowd started talking over it, dispersing to get drinks or go to the bathroom. "So, got your eye on anyone?" Nicole asked, figuring this was the point when Brendon disappeared to try and land a hookup. 

"Of course." Brendon's eyes were glued to where the band had left to go back stage.

Nicole laughed. "Wait, let me guess. The singer?" 

Brendon looked at her with a frown. "Am I that predictable?"

"No, you just have a distinct type for men. Even in masks." Brendon wobbled his head, conceding her point.

"You're not allowed to just stand here while I'm gone. I expect at least two failed attempts before the next set." He took off in the direction of the backstage area.

"Who's to say I'll fail?" she yelled after him, doubtful that he'd even hear it. She turned towards the bar, intent on getting a drink that wasn't half sugar, but she immediately collided with a woman who'd been standing behind her. Nicole jumped back, apologizing before realizing it was the girl in the band. 

"Oh, sorry. Wasn't even looking where I was going." Nicole rubbed her arm as the woman smiled at her. She didn't say anything back, and Nicole laughed awkwardly, not sure what else to say.

"No, I'm sorry. I just thought I was imagining it when I saw you in the crowd. It really is you, though." Nicole paused, the familiar voice triggering a light bulb to go off somewhere in the far reaches of her memory.

Suddenly the blonde hair and red lips clicked into place in her mind, and she couldn't believe she hadn't seen it before. "Wait, Z? What the fuck?" She grinned and pulled Z into a hug without thinking. "You guy are so good!" she enthused as she let go. 

Z's smile was massive as she beamed at Nicole. "Thank you. It took so much bribery and these stupid masks to get Ryan to finally agree. It's so much fun though." Her expression changed and she winced a little as she said, "I really did mean to get back to you."

Nicole couldn't contain her smile as she stared at Z. Excitement was bubbling under her skin at finally getting to see her again. "Can I buy you a drink or something?" Nicole offered.

Z nodded before thinking better of it. "I have to get back on stage, but come find me after the show and we can catch up?" She wrapped her fingers around Nicole's arm, squeezing gently, before darting back into the crowd.

Nicole was still standing in shock when Brendon came back, looking like he'd just gotten head in a broom closet. "How the fuck-" Nicole asked as soon as she saw him. He couldn't have been gone more than ten minutes.

"So it turns out I know the singer." Brendon laughed breathlessly, attempting to smooth his hair back into place and tuck his shirt in at the same time.

Nicole's mouth formed a small O shape as realization hit her. "Ryan like _your_ Ryan." She shook her head, trying to clear out the disbelief at their luck. 

"He wasn't _my Ryan_ , but I think after tonight he's going to be." Nicole smiled, locking eyes with Z as she took her place on the stage. 

"I know what you mean." She screamed loudly and pumped her fist in the air, feeling like making an ass out of herself was worth it to see how it made Z smile.

**Please proceed to chapter 41.**


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